Inferno
by forever21lupus
Summary: AnnaMarie Collins has always been a typical Southern girl... That is, until she gained magical powers and was kidnapped by scientists. When Tony Stark saves her, under strict orders from S.H.I.E.L.D, will she learn to control her powers? Will she make some new friends in the process? Somewhat of a prologue for the Avengers story that will follow.
1. Chapter 1

My name is AnnaMarie Collins. This is my story. Stick around; I guarantee this will not be like anything you've ever read before. There are so many places where I could start, but I suppose this is as good as any. When _he_ showed up.

**Prologue **

_Don't open your eyes, Anna, _I told myself. All it would take was a flutter of my eyelashes before _they_ all jumped on me.

Oh, God. Who decided to make it so cold? I gritted my teeth, being careful to keep my lips shut and struggling to make my breathing normal. The metal surface underneath my exposed back was definitely not helping. Neither was the paper-thin hospital gown I was dressed in.

Now that I was almost conscious- as conscious as I could hope to get in this land of tortures- I could feel the pain. It wasn't a sudden flare. It took some time for my nerves to awaken and send messages to my brain. Messages like, _Hey. Your feet feel like they're on fire. _And, _Just thought I should let you know, your legs literally feel like melted candle wax. _As well as, _They've got IVs and needles in almost every exposed inch of your arms. _

I couldn't help it. I started trembling.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

The slimy voice made my eyes snap open wide. One of the monsters dressed in a crisp lab coat with a surgical mask donned over his face leaned over me. Terror surged over me, as my heart kicked into overdrive, hammering against my bruised ribs. And I only knew that because the beeping that signifies my heartbeat was now beeping erratically.

Tears welled in my eyes, but nothing spilled over my swollen eyelids. I had long since given up the macho guy act. They had not only broken my body, but had also broken my spirit. I was no longer ashamed to cry in front of them. Tears do nothing to these demons.

I tried to wrestle against the restraints that were holding my wrists, ankles, and waist down, but my body wasn't responding to my commands. It was sluggish at best, and all I managed to do was make my arm twitch.

"Come on. The Boss wants you to dress in normal clothes for another test."

I whimpered, closing my eyes and not moving. Not like I could've moved; I was in far too much pain for that. As the Lab Rat started unhooking my restraints, I started thinking about my family. I have no clue how long it's been since I was taken from them; it feels like months, though I'm sure it's just been a couple of weeks. Were they still looking for their missing daughter/sister, or have they given up?

"You could help me out, you know," the Lab Rat muttered as he pulled me off the examining table. Inside my mind, I envisioned myself slugging him in the face. I felt a little better as he wrapped an arm around me and started walking. I had absolutely no strength to walk, so I just let my feet drag against the floor and my head hang down low.

I was transported to a room where someone grabbed at my gown, roughly pulling it off. I cried out in pain as my limbs were jerked around as a T-shirt was jerked over my head and a pair of jeans rubbed against my raw and stretched flesh. But I didn't struggle. I was completely limp as they yanked me around like I was a doll. Struggling only makes the pain worse. And my limbs weren't listening to me, anyways.

Finally, I was pushed into a chair. For the first time since I had left the examining table, I opened my eyes. I was sitting in what I labeled as The Torture Room. I whimpered and immediately bit my lip afterwards, cursing myself in my head as blood trickled inside my mouth.

"Good morning, AnnaMarie. How are you feeling?"

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. The Boss. Yesterday they had said I would get a day off! At least, I think it was yesterday… I had no way of telling time in this place.

"Pain," I croaked. My throat was raw and scratchy from endless, constant screaming while they performed their "experiments" on me. I had meant to say 'I'm in pain', but it didn't quite get past my chapped and swollen lips.

"Good, good," The Boss drawled. I looked up and saw him standing before me, scribbling something down on a clipboard. As always, I couldn't see his face (it was covered with a surgical mask and a cap was around his hair). "Okay. We're going to submerge your hand in water, and I want you to try and use your powers immediately afterwards, okay?"

All the color drained from my face as my body started trembling again. My heart began to thud loudly against my ribs as the panic emerged and took over my mind. I tried to stand, but pain shot through my legs so I ended up just sort of slipping out of the chair. I started to slither away, adrenaline pumping through my waterlogged veins. _Come on Anna, MOVE! _I told myself, but my body was not moving with the swiftness it normally possesses. It took no time for someone to scoop me up and stick me in a different chair. I feebly fought as they strapped restraints, holding me in place.

Tears streamed down my face as they rolled over the table with the tank of water on top of it. So innocent looking, but so very deadly.

"No, please," I cried, my voice breaking as one of the multiple Lab Rats grabbed my wrist. He submerged it halfway up to my elbow in the water.

For a second, there was the bliss of no pain. But then the agony of burning flesh tore through my body. I could think of nothing else but my hand burning in the tank. A scream ripped out of my throat as I watched the flesh underwater burn away, pulling apart from itself. I struggled as violently as I could, given renewed strength from the adrenaline coursing through me. But still, I was no match for two of the Lab Rats because of my weakened state. I could think of nothing else but the excruciating pain that threatened to kill me.

The wall exploded.

The world shifted as my chair flew across the room, knocking over the table and a couple of the Lab Rats. Instant relief flooded through my arm as my hand started to immediately heal itself. If there wasn't water inside my body, my hand would be as good as new within a few seconds. But seeing as there was, the water prevented the burnt skin from completely healing, leaving it raw and tender to the touch.

My head knocked against the ground, and I saw stars as the room started whirling. Big chunks of debris flew around, smacking the chair and sometimes my leg or my arm. Dust clouded the air, and I wanted to cough, but I couldn't make myself.

Something warm and sticky trickled down into my eye. I blinked hard, trying to see through the blood. Everything was blurry and moving too fast, but was that a blur of red I saw? Or is that just the blood? Is the red thing fighting? There was obviously a fight going on, even though I could hardly hear it. Am I bleeding out of my ear? No, eyes stay open. Stay awake!

My eyes fluttered open as the red blob leaned over me. I shrank back, still trapped by my restraints. My head was throbbing. Hopefully it'll kill me fast. The blood from my head was pouring steadily now, completely blocking vision from my right eye. Did it just grab my hand? No, it… broke the chair?

When I completely woke up, I saw the sky. I smiled, feeling the wind blow through my tangled mess of hair. I hadn't seen the sky since I was kidnapped. I felt so free.

But what was pressing against my side? And what was underneath me? I turned to the right and saw a man-sized red and gold machine with glowing blue eyes carrying me bridal-style.

I shrieked in surprise, struggling out of its arms. I rolled to the left and was immediately accompanied by the dizzying sensation of free-falling.

My body crashed onto the ground, a cry of pain ripping from my throat. I rolled a little before finally coming to a stop. Every inch of my body seemed bruised, cut, or bleeding, or any combination of the three. I didn't have the will or the strength to flip myself over. Instead, I took slight comfort in the warm dirt pressing against my cheek.

Something whizzed above my head before smashing down beside me. I'm guessing the red guy. A hard hand grabbed my waist and gently turned my over so I was staring up at the sky.

A middle-aged man appeared in my line of vision, leaning over me. Unlike before, his face was exposed, but it was surrounded my red metal. He was looking down at me with a horrified expression.

Finally, my brain caught up with everything that just happened. I was being tortured before this guy busted through the wall. I fell over and knocked my head, falling unconscious, but not before I saw him fight the Lab Rats and The Boss. He broke the chair, yanking me out of my restraints and must've picked me up and flew away with me. So he saved me. The man encased in an iron suit saved me.

Wait… Man in iron…

I coughed, my throat feeling like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other. "Iron Man?" I whispered.

He exhaled in relief. "Oh, good you're alive. Fury would not have been happy if you had died."

Why did Iron Man save me? Who was Fury? What happened to the Lab Rats? How did he find me? What was going to happen next?

So many questions were buzzing in my head, causing it to ache miserably. I winced. "Ouch," I muttered, shutting my eyes.

"You look rough," Iron Man stated.

I snorted, a small smile coming on my face.

"Good, you can laugh. Progress!" he chimed. I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me.

"What's your name?" I croaked quietly.

His jaw dropped. "Are you kidding? Please tell me you're kidding." When he saw that I wasn't kidding, he sighed and shook his head. "Poor girl. I'm Tony Stark!"

"Oh… hi," I breathed, shutting my eyes again. I concentrated on breathing normally, trying to calm myself down. Obviously, Iron Man is a superhero, not a villain. Plus, he just saved me. So why would he kill me now? He was obviously okay to trust.

He chuckled under his breath. "You're AnnaMarie, right?"

I nodded. "Mhmm." I didn't bother to ask how he knew me. Right now, it didn't matter.

"Alright, AnnaMarie. You're not going to fall out of my arms this time, will you?" he asked.

I shook my head as he slipped an arm under my back and the other under my knees. "You can call me Anna," I managed to whisper before I fell back into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**●Chapter Two●  
**

**A special thanks to Jess Marilyn and Ali for reviewing!  
Tony, Pepper©Marvel  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

* * *

My eyes slowly opened.

At least, I think they opened. I couldn't see anything. There was nothing but suffocating darkness. My body felt weighed down, and I could still feel the water slugging down my veins.

Did I die? I must have. But how come there is no light? And what about the pain I feel? Wait… Was I in hell?

Panic surged over me like nothing I've ever felt before. My heart went into overdrive as I started to hyperventilate. Someone, in the distance, started screaming, something that made my blood curdle and goose bumps rise all over my skin. It took me a second to realize that I was the one screaming, and I was lying in the fetal position with my hands clamped firmly over my ears.

This can't be true. I don't want to die!

Something wrapped around me, like two strong vines. I shrieked and started fighting the vines. Not today! I wasn't going to die today!

"Anna! AnnaMarie!" a deep voice shouted. Now there were four vines!

"No, don't take me!" I screamed, eyes clenched shut. "I don't wanna die!"

"You're not dying!" a woman's voice yelled.

Wait… a woman? My eyes slowly opened, and there was Tony Stark standing over the bed I was sitting in. The woman, a strawberry blonde, was sitting beside me, looking shocked.

"I'm not dead…" I whispered, feeling the tears well up in my eyes.

The woman wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close to her. If these were normal circumstances, I would've pulled away. But I was exhausted and still terrified. I allowed her to comfort me as I sobbed into her shoulder. The tears pouring down my cheeks stung a little, but it wasn't too bad. Plus, it was helping to get the water out of my system.

"Shh," she muttered, stroking my hair.

It didn't take me long to fall unconscious again.

The next time I woke up, I was underneath the thick quilt spread across the bed. The overhead light was faintly on, casting a soft, blue-ish light over the room. I snuggled into the pillow, flipping over onto my stomach. Ugh, this bed was so comfortable. If I never moved again, I would be perfectly fine.

I could hear talking and laughing coming from outside my room. Also, the faint scent of pizza drafted back, causing my stomach to growl. For the first time, I realized I was ravenous.

I pushed the quilt away, wincing as pain shot up my arm. Okay, so no more sudden movements. Slowly now, I stood up, flinching as my aching feet and thighs cried out in protest. My legs wobbled for a second before giving out underneath me. I flung my hands out in front of me, but still managed to jar my chin against the ground.

"Ouch," I muttered. I sat up, balancing my ankle on my knee so I could balance my foot enough to examine the bottom of it. It was still cut up but not bleeding. I scowled at it, remembering the lashes to my foot whenever I didn't comply with orders. And trust me, seeing as I was very defiant, I had plenty of lashes on both feet.

I looked around, trying to find slippers or socks, at least. But I didn't find anything. I sighed, clenching my jaw as I used the bed to pull myself up into a standing position. My body was trembling, and I clung to a bedpost, trying to keep myself upright.

I took a step forwards. I sucked my breath in, unprepared for the amount of agony as the carpet aggravated my exposed cuts. I whimpered a little, but then immediately cursed myself for it.

_You've already cried in front of them, Anna. They already think you're weak. Don't give them something else to make them think you can't take a little pain. Grit your teeth, and get over it._

I made it to the door before I sagged against the wall. Not having walked myself in who-knows-how-long, coupled with the pain shooting up my legs from my feet and the other tortures I endured, I was physically in the worst shape I had ever been in. Not even when I was human was I this weak.

I opened the door and inched my way down the hall, leaning against the walls for support. At least the floor was hardwood now, rather than carpet. I followed the sound of the voices, wondering how far away the pizza could be.

Finally, I came into an exposed room with large windows for a back wall. A long, circular, gray couch was a few feet in front of the windows. Outside, the moon was shining on the inky black waves gently rolling onto a beach. I turned to the right to see the kitchen. It was open and massive, with Tony and the redhead sitting at the table, bickering over a box of pizza.

I was starving, and they hadn't noticed me. But I didn't completely trust them. The fight or flight instinct inside of me said that now was my chance to run. I bit my lip, indecisive. If I ran now, I would get a head start. It would be a while before they noticed I was gone. But how far would I get? I was wounded and alone with absolutely no money.

My question was answered for me as Tony glanced over in my direction, doing a double take as he saw me. I stared into his dark brown eyes, trying to decide if I should trust him. What if he had just saved me in order to run his own tests?

I took a step back, prepared to turn and make a run for it. Before I could take another step, the woman intervened. She stood and came over to me, a huge grin on her face. "Are you hungry?" she asked nicely.

I glared at her. Her smile slipped off. "I don't need pity," I growled, my voice sounding guttural and rough, like I haven't used it for months.

She stared back, unwavering. "Of course not." She smiled again. I decided she was okay. She stood up to me, after all, instead of letting me intimidate her. "Come on, we've got plenty extra."

I followed her, conscious of Tony's steady gaze that never left me. I stood up straight and refused to limp or show any sign of pain, like I had in the hallway.

I made up my mind that I would run away later. Once I was strong enough.

"I'm Pepper Potts, by the way," the redhead stated, pulling a chair up to the table for me. I gratefully sank into it, happy to have my weight off my aching feet.

"AnnaMarie," I returned, holding out my hand to her. She looked mildly surprised before shaking my hand. "You can call me Anna."

"Well, Anna," she mused, smiling. "Cheese or Pepperoni?"

"Pepperoni," I returned without hesitation. I wanted to smile, but I forced myself not to as Pepper fished a piece onto a napkin and pushed it over to me.

I took a bite, slightly surprised at the burst of flavor in my mouth. I hadn't eaten since I was taken. I savored the bite for a second before taking another bite. And then another. Before I realized it, I had scarfed down the whole piece.

Tony snorted. "Don't forget to breathe."

I shot him a glare, as Pepper scolded him. "Tony! Leave her alone! Who knows the last time she ate?"

"She does," he returned sweetly. "Hey, when was the last time you ate?" he asked me.

"Tony! You can't just ask things like that! She's emotionally unstable!" Pepper chastised.

"I'm perfectly stable," I promised.

"See, she's perfectly stable! How about that question, sweetheart?" Tony reminded, smirking at me.

I sighed. "I don't know. Since I was taken."

"When were you taken?" Pepper questioned sympathetically. I realized she couldn't help empathizing with me; it was her nature. So instead of snapping at her for it, I just answered her question.

"I don't know. Can I have another piece?"

Pepper nodded, handing me another slice of the mouth-wateringly good pizza. I ate this one slower than the first one; my stomach full before I even got halfway through with it. I frowned at it. Normally I could eat three or four slices before my stomach started feeling content.

"Your stomach's shrunk from not eating. It'll get back to normal in no time, don't worry," Tony chimed with a wink. He was smiling at me, instead of looking sad, like Pepper. I liked him already. He didn't sugarcoat things, nor did he skirt around things. He was straightforward.

"Do you want something to drink?" Pepper asked.

My eyes widened for a second before realizing it was just an innocent question. I shook my head. "I can't."

"Can't? Can't what?"

"Can't drink," I responded to Tony's questions.

"Oh, I didn't mean alcohol," Pepper retorted, misunderstanding my response.

"I know," I stated. They looked at me in confusion. "I literally _cannot _drink. The fluids are poisonous to me."

"What?" Pepper breathed, shocked.

I closed my eyes and sighed, losing my patience. "I have the power to shoot fire from my hands, and water is my kryptonite," I said quickly. I opened my eyes again to a bewildered Pepper and a smirking Tony. "And seeing as water is in most drinks, I cannot have drinks. I don't need them. Your bodies are seventy percent water. Mine is zero. Well, not right now, at least." I trailed off, picking at the last pepperoni on my half-devoured slice.

"Why not?" Tony asked.

I stood up abruptly, flashes of water being injected into my arms, mouth, ears, etc. filling my head. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I wasn't completely stable.

"Sorry," Tony apologized immediately.

"You don't have to talk about it right now," Pepper added.

I stared at Tony. His eyes gave me a sense of comfort, of security, even though I don't know him. His gaze pulled me out of the nightmarish land of horror and back into this place. I nodded, finally looking away as I slowly sat back down.

I could tell that Pepper was trying to start a new conversation, trying to pick an area that wouldn't be sensitive. But honestly, I didn't know if there was a topic that wasn't sensitive. _Come on, Anna, _I told myself. _Grow up. Grit your teeth._

"They injected me with water," I confessed quickly. I bit my lip and stood up, walking out of the kitchen and living room. Once I got back into the hallway, I sagged against the wall, using it to prop myself up.

As soon as I got into my room, I collapsed on the bed and instantly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovelies!  
**

**Soooooooooooo sorry that the update is so late D: I went out of town to visit my cousins, and I couldn't update!** pleasedon'tkillme **I'm really really sorry!**

**Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed! I give you all virtual cupcakes! You guys are the best!  
**

**●Chapter Three●  
**

**Tony, Pepper, Jarvis © Marvel  
(unfortunately.)  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

* * *

The next time I fully awoke, the clock next to me read 9:05 A.M. I had slept on and off for three days, according to Pepper who came in about twice a day to check up on me. I found it rather annoying, but it was nice of her. I had a feeling that if it were just me and Tony, he would forget about me and find my rotting corpse in three years.

I smiled a little, feeling a lot more like myself. I walked over to the bathroom and reached into the shower, turning it as hot as it would go. Yes, water does burn like battery acid on my skin, but when it reached a certain temperature it was fine. Like volcanic water. The Lab Rats had figured that one out.

Showers were very tricky things for me to maneuver. They're a game of hop in the shower, get wet. Jump out, soap. Jump back in, rinse. If I stayed in for too long, or if I let the room temperature air cool down the water while I was standing outside of it, I'll get burnt.

Needless to say, I hated showers.

Once I finished with my shower, I wrapped my hair up in a fluffy towel, careful to keep it up off my skin. There was a full-body mirror hanging on the wall in between the sink and the toilet. For the first time since I was kidnapped, I examined myself.

The first thing I noticed was how _skinny_ I was. And not a pretty skinny, but an anorexic kind of skinny. My legs, once lean and muscular, were now pasty, thin, and covered in bruises. Both of my knees were scraped from falling multiple times. My stomach was pretty much the most unscathed part of my body, except for the fact that the skin was turning a sickly yellow color and for the little pricks running up and down my sides from needles that were too long to stick in my arms. My hands and arms had taken the worst abuse. My hands were still fairly burnt from being submerged in water so many times. My fingernails were nubs, at best. I had chewed and ripped them off from clawing at people and machines. My elbows were scraped, and I had a cut on my upper arm that was currently bleeding. Bruises covered every centimeter of my arms, chest, and neck. My face was a little better, with a fading black eye and an ugly green bruise on my cheek from where someone had elbowed me.

All in all, I had seen better days.

I grabbed a hair dryer, wrapped the towel around my shoulders, and set to work drying my wet hair, careful not to touch it to my skin. I continued to brush my teeth and hair, checking my reflection to see if somehow I had miraculously turned pretty again.

Nope. The only change was that my dark brown hair was back to normal: long with loose curls. I sighed. It was not going to be easy getting myself back into shape.

I crossed over to the closet. There wasn't much there. I grabbed a pair of black yoga pants and threw on a hoodie that nearly swallowed me. I frowned, looking at the tag. It was supposedly in my size, even though it went well past my waist and the sleeves went a few inches past my fingers. I scoffed, shaking my head. Scratch out 'not easy' and change it to near impossible.

My feet were coming along well. They were no longer black and red. Now they're a greenish/yellow color with red welts. I found socks and some slippers. Once my feet were in both, it was like heaven. I could walk around and almost forget about the pain.

By the time I left the room it was 10:10. Seeing as how I could get lost in a ten by ten cube, I hesitated in my doorway. I was horrid with directions and remembering things, so I tried to hear for voices. I thought I heard a whisper of one, but I wasn't absolutely sure. Next, I tried to smell. It was ten o'clock; hopefully _someone_ had made breakfast.

I was right. I could smell the remains of bacon. My mouth watered at the smell. I loved bacon. I followed the smell, eventually ending back up in the kitchen. Tony was sitting there, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.

"Good morning," I greeted, walking over to a plate of bacon resting on the counter. "Who made the bacon?" I grabbed a piece and turned, leaning against the counter and facing Tony.

Tony put down the paper, looking at me somewhat warily. "Someone's in a cheery mood. And Pepper."

"Hm. Where is she now?" I asked, taking a bite. It was great.

"Out running errands. What have you been doing for the past three days?" Stark questioned.

"Sleeping. I can tell you that I am now fully functional." I pointed to my brain, meaning I was totally mentally stable.

He smirked. "That's good to hear. You look better," he lied.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, grabbing another piece and plopping down beside him. "That's a good one. I look like a piece of wood that got shoved through a grinder."

He chuckled. "Well, you look better than you did when you showed up."

I raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the sink and set his mug at the bottom. "And how did I look when I showed up?"

"Feral," he answered instantly, turning and looking at me. "You looked like you would've ripped someone's heart out if you could have."

"Really? 'Cause that's exactly how I felt!" I exclaimed.

"Seriously?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

I snorted. "No! All I could think about was how to keep myself standing." I smiled. "But that was a close guess." I winked at him.

He chuckled.

"Where's your suit?" I asked, remembering I was talking to Ironman.

"It's downstairs, in the garage. Wanna see it?" he offered.

I nodded, standing and following him. He fell into step beside me; I'm guessing because he didn't trust that I wouldn't stab him in the back.

"Oh my God, are you a millionaire or something?" I suddenly burst. I was getting sick of all the walking. This house was massive.

Tony chuckled. "Try billionaire." He put his hand on my back gently, steering me towards some stairs that were leading down. Even though he just barely touched me, I still flinched away.

"Sorry," he said.

I shook my head, blushing as I started down the stairs. "It's not your fault." Yeah, it's not his fault I was captured by evil scientists who did experiments on me. Would I ever stop being so jumpy? I was filled with slight sorrow as I thought about me always being so poised for flight, like a deer during hunting season. I used to be so flamboyant and unafraid. I would strut everywhere I went, because I thought no one could touch me because of my powers. Obviously, I was wrong.

I came down to the end of the agonizing trip down the stairs to a huge garage. To my left, expensive car after expensive car sat. My eyes grew huge, and I gasped. "You weren't kidding?" I shrieked, glancing at him in disbelief.

"Of course I wasn't," he returned. "The suits are over here," he said, trying to remind me of why I came down here in the first place. Either that, or he was afraid I might start drooling on his cars.

I turned to my right and saw five or six suits all hooked up. "Which one do you use?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly.

"I use all of them, but primarily I use the one on the far left," he stated, walking over and flipping on a switch that cast blue lights over the suits, lighting them up. He walked over to the center of the room, stepping over all kinds of metal contraptions and screws and whatnot.

I started following him and was about to put my foot down, when a voice started talking. "Unless you want to face Mr. Stark's wrath, I advise you not put your foot there."

I jumped violently, stumbling backwards and barely keeping upright as I spun around, trying to locate the voice. "The hell?" I exclaimed, unable to find anyone other than me and Tony, who was currently laughing at me.

"Why are you laughing at me?" I demanded, carefully picking my way through the scrap metal to get over to Tony's desk.

"That's just Jarvis. He's a computer," Tony explained.

"So how does he talk?" I questioned. "Does someone type for him what to say?"

"I am a fully self-functioning system," Jarvis stated. I looked at Tony, who shrugged and nodded.

"That shouldn't be possible!" I claimed.

"Maybe not in the Boondocks, but in the modern world, it is," Tony said. "By the way, where are you from?" he asked, pointing a wrench at me.

"Tuscaloosa," I replied. "Alabama."

He nodded. "That explains it," he muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes. The stupid redneck stereotype was so overrated. I caught movement to the right of me in my periphel vision. I turned, slowly, so I wouldn't hurt myself.

Only to see that the metallic scraps had pulled together in some kind of beast and was moving towards me. I screamed, stepping back and falling over some crate of little screws. The breath was knocked out of me and flares of pain shot all over my body. I froze for a second before turning over onto my back. The thing was still coming. I tried to scoot back, but it didn't work very well considering my certain state of body. So I ended up rolling onto my stomach and trying to slide away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey!" Tony exclaimed. He picked me up, supporting me as I struggled to get used to standing upright again. "Stop it!" he snapped.

I looked up to see the machine had stopped and was looking almost… inquisitively at me. That can't be right… It listened to Tony? "Is that… your machine?"

Tony nodded.

"It _listens_ to you?"

He nodded again, smirking at me, obviously amused by my amazement.

"This is so _weird,_" I breathed. I felt like a Flintstone compared to Tony. He chuckled and let me go.

I took a tentative step toward the robot, holding out my hand as if it was a wild animal. It buzzed and clicked at my hand before pushing up against it like a horse. I grimaced, glancing at Tony. He was staring at me like I was a freak.

"Okay, stop touching it," he instructed turning to his computer.

"What's its name?" I asked, taking a step closer and rubbing what I assumed was its head.

"It doesn't have one, and I told you to stop touching it! You'll… break it or something."

"It needs a name," I cooed. The robot was actually quite adorable. It was buzzing, its body vibrating like a cat's. I smiled at it, and it clicked at me.

"Hey." Tony came between us, pushing my arm away and turning on the robot. "Back up or I'll sell you to MIT for scrap metal. And you." He turned on me. "Just stand there and don't move." He walked back over to his computer.

I held my hands up in defeat. "Fine. Can I call it Lily?"

Tony looked up, bewilderment written all over his face. "Absolutely not! It doesn't need a name and certainly not a girl name. It's a guy!"

"Oh, and how do you know?" I proposed, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrow at him.

He glared at me before giving up. "Fine! Fine. Call him Lily."

"Yay, Lily, come here boy!" I cooed, calling to the robot that perked up and rolled over to me.

"You called him a guy!" Tony protested.

"I know," I answered coolly. "I think he's a guy too." I glanced at Tony, who looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. I pretended to giggle quietly with Lily.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Tony sneered.

"Wait," I said seriously, stepping over to him. For the first time, I noticed the glowing blue circle set in his chest. I frowned at it, unsure of what possibly it could be. "What is that?"

"It's an arc reactor," Tony stated. I stared up at him blankly, and he huffed. "Honestly, do you not know anything about technology?" I shook my head, even though it was a rhetorical question. "It's an electromagnet inserted into my chest to keep shrapnel out of my heart."

"Why is there shrapnel in your heart?" I asked immediately.

"You're not the only one who's been tortured, hun," Tony remarked with a wink, stepping around me to set his wrench down on a table before turning back to his computer.

I blinked. He… Him… Tortured? How would he ever be tortured? He was _Ironman_ for God's sake; he was practically unbeatable!

He must've seen the confusion on my face, because he sighed and sat down in a chair. "I was in Afghanistan, promoting a new missile when my caravan got raided. My missile went off, causing the shrapnel problem. They took me in as a prisoner to make a weapon for them, but I made the first Ironman suit instead and escaped."

I was quiet for a moment, processing the information. "How long were you there?" I whispered.

"Three months. And you wanna know the first thing I ate when I got back?" He stood up, walking over to me.

"What?"

"A cheeseburger."

I grinned, giggling a little. The noise was so strange coming from me that I jumped a little, glancing around to see who had laughed. Tony started laughing, a deep chuckle that made me feel…safe. I started laughing as well, relieved to find out it didn't hurt my aching throat.

"So what about these powers of yours?" Tony asked. "You said something about a couple of flaming fists of fury?"

I giggled. "Yeah, something like that," I teased with a wink. But then my smile faded. "I can't."

"What do you mean 'can't'?" Tony demanded.

"There's still water in my body. I can't use my powers until the water is all gone." I bit my lip.

It was quiet for a moment before Tony said, "Well that sucks."

I smiled, and he smiled back. And, for a moment, I felt somewhat okay.

* * *

**Sorry for the super insanely cheesy ending. If you want to throw a tomato at me, I guess it's okay... )':**

**Can I get a yay for a (finally) fully-awake Annie? YAY! No more drugs and sleepingggg~  
**

**Okay guys. I'll leave you now. Reviews pleaseee?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**MWAHAHAHAH I'm baaaaack. I present to you... Another chapter! Hopefully this makes up for me being gone? Yes? No? Maybe so?  
**

**Okay. Enjoy!(:  
**

**●Chapter Four●  
**

**Tony, Pepper, Jarvis, Natasha © Marvel  
**

**Jackie Traina © Jackie Traina  
**

**(I guess...? Hah I dunno who she belongs to.)  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

* * *

TONY'S POV

Annie and I emerged back into the kitchen not long after. She had only wanted to see the suit, and I had only checked up on the security systems for a second.

I could tell all the walking had her a little worn out, though she was trying hard not to show it. A small part of me was proud of her, while the other was annoyed. She had been through so much; she didn't have to put on a show. If she fell to the ground sobbing and screaming, I wouldn't be surprised.

Truth be told, this perfectly normal act was a little disconcerting.

I was heading for the cabinet, reaching up and pulling out some Bourbon when Jarvis announced, "Sir, Mrs. Potts is coming through the door."

I didn't miss Annie's slight jump, though she tried to cover it up as smoothly as she could. I smirked, grabbing a glass and pouring some of the alcohol into it. "You want a drink?" I offered.

She declined, shaking her head with a slight pout.

_Oh yeah. No liquids, _Tony reminded himself as Pepper burst into the room.

"Tony, Director Nick Fury is still trying to get in touch with you, he says it's urgent and he's extremely fed up, and the MIT committee would like to remind you about the lecture you offered to give two weeks from now- Oh! You're awake!" Pepper exclaimed, jumping at the sight of Annie sitting at the kitchen table.

Annie gave her a small smile and a wave. "Good morning," she greeted. Her voice was still a little hoarse and deeper than Tony suspected it normally was.

Pepper grinned, fluttering over and sitting beside her. "How are you? Do you feel okay? Anything wrong? Is there something I can get you? You know-"

"Pepper, you're smothering her," I warned, taking a sip of my drink.

"I am not!" Pepper countered. "I am trying to take care of our guest; it's a little thing called hospitality- I'm sure you would know nothing about it."

"Stark."

The serious voice froze my reply. I turned to see Agent Natasha Romanoff standing in the entryway that Pepper had just entered from. Arms crossed tightly across her chest, she looked positively deadly with her scowl.

I gulped. The last time I had seen her had been at a donut store with Fury. Fury must've sent her-

"Fury sent me. Where's the girl?"

I glanced over at Annie, who was staring at the impassive agent. She met my gaze, her butterscotch-colored eyes widening in fear. She looked like a deer caught in headlights as Natasha turned to the table.

Pepper stood, smiling as she walked over to Natasha. "Natasha. Hi! How are you?"

The red-haired agent's lips twitched upwards in a sign of tolerance, if not friendship. "I'm fine." She turned on me, the tiny smile falling of her devilish face. "Stark, you know what Fury told you. You were simply supposed to rescue her, then deliver her to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Come on, Natasha. Just look at that face!" I gestured to Annie, who looked like she was paralyzed. "I couldn't turn that down, now could I?"

She huffed, rolling her eyes and stepping towards Annie.

The table flipped upwards, falling on a very-surprised Natasha and knocking her to the ground. I looked up, alarmed to see Annie stumbling out of the kitchen, trying her hardest to run, which only looked like a girl with two broken legs limping.

Natasha burst through the table, darting after and tackling the wounded, defenseless girl to the ground before I could protest. "Hey!" I shouted as Annie shrieked in pain, slammed against the ground.

I stepped over the rubble of the destroyed table, grabbing Natasha by her shoulders and peeling her off. I shoved her away, leaning down and rolling Annie over onto her back. She had her eyes shut tightly, and her skin was ashen as she moaned.

"Are you okay?" I questioned harshly. "No, you stay there!" I snapped at Natasha, who had started to move back over to me. She froze, surprised at the seriousness in my voice. "Annie?"

"I'm fine," she choked out between gritted teeth, still refusing to open her eyes. Her whole body was tensed and rigid, and she took shallow breaths, trying to fight through it.

Relieved that she wasn't about to die, I stood up, whirling on the agent. "Are you out of your mind? Did you not see she was injured? _Why_ would you attack her?"

"She threw a table at me! She can't be _that_ injured," Natasha shot back, obviously angry. It was dangerous to get the Russian assassin angry, but right now, I didn't care.

"It was self-defense! She thought you were going to take her!"

"I _am_ going to take her!"

"No you are not! What's to keep you from shooting her next time she lifts a hand?"

"I'm not stupid, Stark!"

"Oh, really? Now there's a surprise."

"You two, stop it!" Pepper commanded.

I held my tongue, realizing Natasha and I were inches apart, yelling in each other's faces. I looked over at Pepper, who was standing at the edge of the kitchen. And she was _mad._

"This girl is laying here in extreme pain, if either of you actually cared!" she shrieked. "She might need a little help, if you two could just get over yourselves!"

I immediately felt ashamed, and I could tell Natasha did as well, though she did a damn good job of hiding it. I took a step back, turning to Annie. We both reached down and carefully picked her up. She inhaled sharply, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. She gritted her teeth together as I wrapped one of her arms around my shoulders, Natasha doing the same. Together, we took her back to the guest room she was staying in, gently laying her on the bed.

Her breathing was shallow, and she looked tiny laying against the sheets.

Pepper offered to go get a wet washcloth, before trailing off and biting her lip as she realized that wasn't the best idea. We all stared at her, unsure of what to do. All of our limited medical knowledge was centered around water.

"Annie? Is there anything we can get you?" Pepper asked gently, stepping forward to the side of the bed.

She shook her head tersely, wincing afterwards. "No," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" I pressed. Honestly, I didn't like to see her like this. To see her go so abruptly from teasing and giggling to laying in a bed, absolutely determined to make it seem like she wasn't in that much pain.

"Yes," came the solemn and breathy answer.

Pepper nodded, reaching over and squeezing Annie's hand before filing out with us. We went into the living room, where we started to discuss her future.

"Are you really going to take her?" Pepper questioned.

Natasha looked unfathomable. "I have to. I have orders."

"You could persuade Fury," I stated. "He likes you. I think," I added, grimacing. Fury didn't like anybody. "I take that back," I said.

"Persuade him of what, exactly?" Natasha snapped.

"To let her stay here and recover," I answered. "I mean, if he wants to have her, he can, but I don't think she'd be of much use if she can't even use her powers," I said nonchalantly, acting like it was no big deal.

"She can't use her powers?" That got the agent's attention.

"Nope. She said it had something to do with her being tortured and all…" I threw in, just to try and make the assassin feel bad. Going by the way Natasha's scowl deepened, I'm guessing it worked.

"Maybe I can work something out."

ANNAMARIE'S POV

I didn't move until the pain started to slowly ebb away. God, that had hurt. I wasn't even able to break my fall with my hands, so I had landed on my chin, which had _killed_ my neck.

Still a little sore, I decided I was able to move without my body screaming in pain. I stood up, realizing I had fallen asleep for almost two hours. I huffed angrily.

_Great. Just when I thought I was done being an invalid._

Grumbling to myself, I exited my room, careful to make sure my feet were securely in the socks and slippers. I followed the sound of a T.V., eventually coming to an open area with a piano and a couch. Pepper and the red-haired woman (Natasha) were sitting on chairs while Tony claimed the couch. They were all staring mindlessly at the T.V.

Tony looked over, brightening up when he saw me. "There's my favorite invalid!" he cheered. "Come here!" He patted the space next to him on the couch, ignoring my furious glare. I gave in, easing myself down onto the couch next to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and, uneasy with the contact, I tried to scoot away.

Natasha noticed this and looked down to hide a snicker.

"Are you feeling better?" Pepper questioned nicely.

I nodded, still trying to move away from Tony's iron grip on my shoulders. He pulled me closer, and I winced as my head fell on his chest. I stood up and moved to the opposite side of the couch from him, pulling my knees up to my chest and glaring at him.

He scoffed. "Fine! Whatever. Most girls would've killed to be in your position just then," he added, nursing his wounded ego.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure," I sneered. My eyes shifted to Natasha, who was watching us with a flicker of amusement in her steely eyes. We made eye contact, and I stared uneasily, unsure if she would attack again.

"I'm… sorry," she stated. "I didn't know you were injured."

I was surprised. She seemed like the last person to ever apologize to anyone. My eyebrows rose. "It's okay. I'm sorry for throwing a table at you."

Tony chuckled, and Pepper had to hide a smile.

"So we're even?" Natasha offered.

I nodded. In the background, I could hear a woman on T.V. announce, "Have you seen this woman?"

I ignored it, seeing as it was just another news program. "I'm-"

"AnnaMarie Collins."

I spun my head around so fast I thought I got whiplash. A picture of me, smiling and without injuries, flooded the T.V.

"The twenty-six year old, native to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was last seen twenty-five days ago. The last known sighting was on University of Alabama's college campus. The star shortstop for Alabama's softball team; her teammates sorely miss their friend."

A video of Jackie Traina, our best pitcher, and a good friend, appeared. "You know, it's just been hard for all of us." She had tears in her eyes. "I just want her to come home." Her voice broke, and it switched back to the announcer.

"The disappearance of this young woman has sent Tuscaloosa into a frenzy." Picture upon picture showed flyers all over streets and buildings, flowers and stuffed bears and cards sitting next to my locker in school.

And, suddenly, there was my mom, dad, and my two brothers, standing behind a podium in front of a small gathering of reporters and neighbors.

Mom had tears streaming down her cheeks as she was clutching my six-year old brother Noah in her arms. Daddy was standing beside her, an arm wrapped around Micah's hunched shoulders. They were all crying.

"I just miss my baby," Mom sobbed, her voice cracking. "I just want my baby to come home. Whoever did this, please-"

"Jarvis, turn it off!" Tony barked.

I realized there were tears streaming down my face, and I was rocking back and forth. I buried my face in my hands as the tears stung my cheeks.

How could I have been so selfish? My family was in so much pain and grief and, here I was, joking and laughing along with Ironman. Not giving them so much of a second of thought. A sob slipped through my lips, and I remembered I wasn't the only one in the room.

I jumped up, stumbling down the hall as I tried to run. I leaned against the wall, desperately trying to find my way back to the kitchen. "Jarvis!" I exclaimed. "Jarvis, where's the nearest phone?"

"I don't believe that calling them is the wisest idea-"

"A phone, Jarvis!" I shouted. I could hardly see because of my tears, and my cheeks were tingling.

"Take a left, and then a right, and you'll be in the kitchen," he stated emotionlessly.

I followed his instructions, nearly collapsing on the phone. I ripped it out of its holder, frantically dialing my mom's number.

"Hello?" Mom sighed, sounding tired.

"Mom?" I whispered.

Something crashed on the other line- probably a cup or something she dropped. "Anna?" she breathed. "Anna!" She started screaming, and I started doing this weird laughing-sob thing that I couldn't stop.

"AnnaMarie!"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Natasha running towards me, Tony and Pepper on her heels.

"Mom, mom, I'm safe!" I blurted out before the phone was ripped from my hands and slammed down on the countertop. I screamed, clawing at Natasha, who shoved me backwards.

"No!" I shouted, trying to reach the fragmented remains of the phone. Someone wrapped their arms around me, I'm not sure who, while I started shrieking. _"NO!"_

"Hey, shh, it's okay," someone comforted, but it sounded far away. My head was spinning, and my lungs desperately needed air, but I kept on screaming.

Everything went black.

* * *

**Yay, Tony's POV!  
**

**So, do you guys think I made Tony a little OOC when Nat tackled Annie (O:)? I'd love someone else's opinion on the matter! (:**

**And also... What did you think of Natasha's appearance? That definitely was unexpected.  
**

**Sorry for making her faint again... o_o but what do you expect? She _is_ an invalid (;  
**

**Until next time! Reviews are love 3  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello lovelies!**

**A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed. You guys seriously make me wanna die. Cupcakes for everyone!  
**

**A super-big thank you to Shatteredhero, who reviewed not once, but TWICE. And said such lovely things that made me clap my hands and squeal :D  
**

**An apology in advance for all the feels that are to come... For some of the more easily moved, you might want to grab a tissue.  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**●Chapter Five●  
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**Annie & Co. © Moi  
**

**Everything else (sadly.) © Marvel  
**

* * *

I woke up on the couch, with two bickering adults standing over me. It took me a second to completely come to and remember why there were tears on my cheeks.

"You broke my _phone! _For _no reason at all!" _Tony shouted.

"She was going to tell her family everything! We can't jeopardize that!" Natasha countered.

"You don't know that!" Tony snapped.

"The hell, Natasha…" I tried to mutter darkly, but it came out sounding more like a garbled, confused mess.

They all whirled around and looked at me. I rubbed my head, trying to push away the headache quickly forming as I sat up slowly. "What the hell was that for?" I demanded, it sounding a little better.

"You ran off before we could talk things through," Natasha growled. I knew her anger wasn't directed at me but at Tony. That didn't keep me from inwardly flinching. She looked deadly.

"I just wanted my parents to know I wasn't dead…" I mumbled under my breath, shifting myself so I was leaning against the back of the couch.

"See! What's so bad about that?" Tony asked, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"And then what?" Natasha snapped. "What was she going to say when they asked where are you, who are you staying with, when can we get you?"

I looked down at the floor. Maybe I hadn't thought it through… In my defense, I'm still an invalid. Tony didn't say anything either. Natasha had won this one, and we both knew it.

"So what now?" I noticed Pepper for the first time, sitting to my right on the couch.

Tony and Natasha shared a gaze. Natasha shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know."

"Can I call my parents back?" I demanded.

"No," Natasha said firmly, while Tony said, "Sure!" They shared another glance, this one hostile, before turning back to me.

"Like I said," Natasha reiterated, "No."

I was desperate. I'd do anything right now to talk to them. They needed to know that I was okay; that I wasn't still being held against my will. "What if- What if you told me what to say? Would that be okay?" I looked up at her hopefully. Surely she couldn't turn this offer down!

She stared down at me, arms crossed, obviously thinking.

"Oh, come on Tasha," Tony drawled behind her, stepping around her slim form to sit next to me on the couch. "What harm would it do? Actually, it would help her- you- us," Tony said, obviously confused on who all was on Team Anna. "If they knew she wasn't missing, it would help get the searching nation off our backs."

Natasha stared at us for a second longer before sighing. "What the hell." She pulled out a cell phone- where she hid a cell phone on that skin-tight suit, I had no clue- and handed it to me. I accepted it, once again dialing my mom's number.

She answered it on the first ring. "Hello?" she questioned, sounding like she was hoping-against-hopes it was me again.

"Hi, Mom," I greeted, a wide smile spreading across my face as she started screaming.

Natasha motioned to me to put it on speaker. I scowled at her, unwilling to have everyone here listen in on a private conversation, but then I remembered the deal. I bit back the urge to punch something and put the call on speaker.

"Anna?" Daddy bellowed. "Anna, don't hang up! Are you okay?"

I nodded but then remembered I was on the phone, and he couldn't see me. "Yeah, Daddy, I'm fine." I was struggling not to cry. I could hear my mom weeping ridiculously loud in the background, probably clutching onto my dad with all her strength.

"Oh my God…" Daddy muttered, his voice breaking in the middle. Oh Lord, he was crying too. Here come the tears.

"No, Daddy, don't cry," I protested.

"Mom, what's goin' on?" a deep voice asked distantly.

"Micah!" I shrieked, unable to help myself at the sound of my eighteen-year-old brother's voice. I stared at the phone, as if that would pull him out and bring him here. "Micah!"

"Anna? Anna!" Micah shouted, his voice getting louder as he neared the phone.

Tears streamed down my face. "Micah!"

"Oh my God, are you okay? Where are you?" Micah demanded.

I bit my lip, looking up at Natasha as she eased herself on the other side of me. "I'm safe," she whispered in my ear.

"I'm safe," I stated. "I'm okay!"

"Did they hurt you?" Daddy asked.

I hesitated. If there was one thing I never wanted them to know, it would be how much these people hurt me. "I didn't have to go to a hospital," I answered, trying to shirk the subject.

"Did they…" Momma trailed off, unable to finish her sentence because of her loud sobs.

"No Mom! No, they didn't do that," I said, feeling a small blush creep up on my cheeks.

"Where are you?" Daddy asked.

I glanced wide-eyed at Natasha. "Somewhere safe," she muttered.

"Somewhere safe," I repeated.

The phone went quiet, except for Mom's ragged sobs. "What do you mean?" Micah whispered.

"I mean, I- I can't tell you. Just yet." I held my breath, waiting for their response.

"When are you comin' home?" Mom inquired.

I turned to Natasha. I already knew I probably wouldn't be going home anytime soon, not with these science goons out there, trying to find their number one test subject. I didn't want to put my family at risk. It'd be best if I drew them away; somewhere else. Natasha gave a small shake of her head.

Even though I knew there wasn't much hope for me to go home, I was still crushed. It took me a second to get myself to choke out, "I'm not."

The other end went completely silent. No talking, no crying, not even breathing. I had to check and make sure they hadn't hung up.

"At least, not for right now," I lied, feeling panic start to swell in me. They had to keep talking; I wasn't ready to lose them again.

"Anna," Daddy started, soft and slow, like how he did with unruly suspects. Yes, my daddy was the deputy chief of the Tuscaloosa police department. "Anna, are you still with the people who took you?"

There was a flicker of irritation inside me. "God no, Dad. Why the hell would I be with people who tor-" I slapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide. Oh, Lord, _please_ tell me they did not hear that last part.

"Oh, God," Mom whispered before I could hear her sobs again.

"You were tortured?" Micah breathed.

Oh no. Oh no no no no. I buried my face in my hands. "No!" I answered a little too quickly. "No, they didn't."

"Then what were you going to say?" Dad demanded.

"I- I- I-" I searched rapidly, ransacking my head for anything that mildly sounding like 'tor'.

"Pour," Tony whispered into my ear.

"Pour!" I exclaimed. "Pour is what I said. They poured water on me. It was some kind of weird ritual or whatnot-" I broke off. Daddy always said that when a suspect began to ramble, that was a warning sign that they were lying.

I glanced over at Tony, trying to convey my eternal gratitude to him with my eyes. He just gave a small smirk that didn't reach his eyes, nodding.

"Anna. Are you in love with who took you?"

"Dad!" I protested. "Are you kidding me? I'm not that stupid! I don't have Stockholm syndrome! Nor am I a suspect, so you don't have to talk to me like I'm about to shank you!"

Micah and Dad chuckled. "There's the Anna I know and love," Micah stated. "AnnaMarie, I love you. You know that right?" His voice was shaking. Oh, God, poor baby. Please don't cry. Not over me.

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I smiled softly. "Of course I know that, Micah. I love you too. I love all of y'all," I added.

"We love you too," Mom and Dad said.

It was quiet for a moment, and I realized my hands were shaking so bad that the phone was starting to blur a little. I tried to calm myself down but immediately learned it was of no use.

"Hey, what are y'all doin'?"

I inhaled sharply, instantly on my feet. I turned off the speaker phone, pressing it up against my ear. "Travis?" I breathed.

"Oh my God, Anna?" he shouted.

"Travis!" I sobbed, aware of Natasha who had stood up. She walked in front of me, scowling. "Five seconds," I mouthed. Her scowl deepened before she eventually nodded tersely. I took a few steps away, keeping my back to them, but making sure to stay where they could hear my responses.

"Oh, God, are you okay?" my boyfriend/life-long best friend asked.

"I'm fine," I answered. "I'm safe. I'm fine."

"When are you comin' home? Where are you?" he instantly demanded.

"Travis-" I started, but Micah cut me off.

"She's not comin' home right now. She's a little confused," I heard him add a little quieter.

"Hey!" I protested. "I heard that!"

Everyone on the other end laughed, and I even managed a small giggle.

"I love you, babe," Travis drawled, causing me to blush and smile.

"I love you too."

It was quiet for a second, and I decided that my alone time with Travis was over with. I went back over and sat again between Tony and Natasha. I put it on speaker, setting it on my knees.

I realized that someone was going to hang up soon. But I wasn't ready for it, and I could tell that neither was my family. So we were quiet for a little bit longer, all searching for something to say to drag on the conversation.

"Anna…" Natasha whispered, laying a hand on my arm. I knew what she wanted, but I wasn't ready yet. I couldn't-

"Anwie?" a very familiar six-year-old boy's voice drawled.

My heart swelled in my chest, lodging itself in my throat and making it difficult to speak. I swallowed, hard, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "Hi, Noah," I breathed, my voice breaking.

"Hi Anwie!"

I could imagine him waving at the phone, and the mental image caused more tears to pour down my face as I realized I wasn't going to see him again. I wasn't going to see him grow up. Or see him graduate high school, and then college, and get married. His kid will never know his Aunt Anna. A strangled sob escaped my throat.

"Anwie, I miss you!" he stated innocently, unaware of how much pain he was causing his older sister to go through. Did he know I was kidnapped? Probably not. They probably just told him I had gone on a trip or something.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Natasha and Tony turn their gazes away. Pepper was crying.

"I miss you too, Noah." I could hardly get the words out. I knew I had to go before I said something stupid. "I love you, Noah."

"I wuv yew tew, Anwie!"

"I love all of y'all. I have to go," I uttered quickly, hanging up before I got a response. I jumped off the couch, Natasha's phone falling on the floor as I fled to my room, conscious of nothing but my breaking heart.

* * *

**I dunno about you guys, but am I the only one tearing up over here? Yes? Oh well, Annie's like my baby, of course I feel her pain Dx  
**

**Okay, I'm done being weird. Review and you'll get a kitty!**notreallythough**Until next time!(:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay guys. Next chapter.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed! Your reviews were soo sweet! I'm happy I'm not the only one who gets feels for Annie! :D Pleaseee continue to review, even if you already have, because I love getting those emails! (:  
**

**●Chapter Six●  
**

**Annie & Co. © Me  
**

**Everything else © Marvel  
**

* * *

I collapsed on my bed, burying my face in my pillow as I sobbed unabashedly. I was in so much pain. I deduced that physical torture almost had nothing on emotional torture.

I mean, physical torture ends after a while, but emotional goes on forever.

My family would never see me again. That was for sure. Even if the Lab Rats suddenly disappeared, or my powers went away, wherever I was, there would be trouble. Maybe I could crash Micah and Noah's wedding, if I hid somewhere in the distance. But I knew I would never be able to manage that pain. The pain of my family being within my reach, but not being able to see or talk to them.

And Travis. Oh, God, what about Travis? He was stuck under the same guidelines as my family. I was going to lose my best friend and my boyfriend. Surely we couldn't date when I was…somewhere else. I still had no clue where I was.

I was stuck, somewhere I didn't know, with people I didn't know, for an uncertain amount of time, with no hope of a bright future.

I cried until I finally fell asleep, clutching onto my pillow for dear life.

I slowly dragged myself awake from the uneasy dreamland I had succumbed to. I checked the clock, finding that I had slept for a couple hours. It was seven o'clock at night now.

I stood up, crossing over to the bathroom. I decided not to take a shower, considering how sore I still was.

I was about to leave when my eyes fell on the glass scale pressed up against the wall. I bit my lip, a little nervous, but I stepped on it anyways.

93. 93 _freaking_ pounds. I had lost… I started to do the math in my head but gave up with a frustrated sigh. I tugged my hand through my brown curls. I had never been the brightest crayon in the box. I had gone from 115 to 93 pounds in a matter of almost three weeks. That was most certainly not healthy.

I strode back into the room, irritated at myself and at the Lab Rats. I had been in the peak of my health, what with all the training for softball. I was aware of my feet starting to sting.

I sat on the ottoman in the middle of the room, my back to the door. I propped my foot on my knee, only to huff angrily. The bottom of the sock was stained with bright-red blood. I carefully peeled it off my bleeding foot, careful to bundle the sock so that it wouldn't get blood on Tony's carpet.

I muttered a curse under my breath. Tony. "Ugh, Tony is _not_ going to be happy," I growled, examining my bleeding foot. All the running and walking must have reopened the wounds-

"Tony won't be happy about what?" the familiar billionaire sneered. I turned around just in time to see his smirk fall off his face as he saw my foot. "I'll be right back," he said, turning and striding out of the room.

I sighed, taking the sock off my other foot, careful not to let my feet come in contact with the carpet. I used the already ruined socks to try and cease the bleeding.

The door opened again, and Tony came around, kneeling at my feet. He started wrapping my left foot with gauze. "Do I really come off so arrogant as to get mad at you for your feet bleeding on my carpet?" he asked, a small smirk on his face.

"Yes," I answered honestly. He glanced up, eyebrows raised, and I gave him a small smile to try and not make my answer seem so harsh.

"Good God, how did you manage to walk around with your feet like this?" Tony marveled, starting to bandage my other foot.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you see, you put one foot in front of the other," I sneered sarcastically.

He paused, glaring up at me. I gave him the sweetest and most innocent smile I could muster. He scoffed, shaking his head and turning back to my feet. "Your sarcasm is not appreciated."

"Neither is yours," I countered, poking his shoulder as he finished. I stood up, walking across to the bed.

"You're not even limping!" Tony exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm a big girl, Tony," I stated, dropping onto my bed. I leaned up against the headboard, propping my feet up on a throw pillow. "I don't walk around crying because I got a paper cut."

Tony just shook his head. "I thought I'd check up on you," Tony stated, swinging himself up next to me on the bed, leaning against the headboard as well. "I brought you dinner." He showed me the plate he was holding in his hands. "Hey, hand me that pillow over there."

"You mean, Pepper told you to come check up on me," I corrected with a smile. I grabbed the extra pillow on my left, trading it with Tony for the plate. Something that looked like pasta alfredo was sitting on the plate.

"Yes," Tony admitted, "But bringing dinner was my idea!"

I took a huge bite, shoveling the steaming food into my mouth.

"Careful! It's…hot…" Tony warned, trailing off at the end as he saw me gulp down the food.

I sighed in content. "It's perfect." It felt great; the heat really soothed my aching throat.

Tony raised his eyebrows, giving me a freaked out look. "What?" I asked innocently.

"That's creepy. I'm guessing it's a side affect of your… condition?" Tony mused.

I nodded. "Hot things don't bother me." I took another bite.

"So, if you were to stick your head into the oven…"

"Depends. Is the oven on or off?" I questioned with a smirk and a wink.

"Aha," Tony rolled his eyes, smirking as well. "On."

I shrugged, taking another bite. "It would feel really good."

"What about if I threw you into a fire?" Tony asked.

"Why, are you thinking about doing that?"

"Maybe…" He trailed off, looking for all the world like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "Seeing as my hands catch on fire as part of my 'condition', I'm pretty sure throwing me into a fire wouldn't do anything but burn my clothes off."

"Ooh, then into the fire you go," Tony winked, waggling his eyebrows at me. I giggled at him.

"Stop flirting with me while I'm eating- It's unnatural."

"So flirting with you any other time is acceptable?" Tony asked eagerly.

Oh, crap. I couldn't help but smirk, biting my lip as I tried to think of an answer that wouldn't throw me in bed with him. Because honestly, that was just too weird to even think about. I turned back to him, still smirking. "Ask me later."

"Okay," he sighed dejectedly, looking ahead for a moment as I took another bite of my food.

"Is it later yet?" he questioned, bouncing up and down a little. He reminded me of a little kid getting his first puppy.

I nearly choked on my food as I laughed loudly. He laughed as well, though I think he was laughing at me for choking. "No, it's not," I managed to say, grinning.

"Damn…" he muttered, though he was still smiling playfully. "So, if I started talking about your family, would you start crying again?"

"No!" I exclaimed defensively. He held his hands up at his chest, showing defeat, and I huffed. "No. I won't."

"Okay. Who's Micah?"

"My brother. He's eighteen."

"And Noah?"

"My other brother. He's six. And a half," I added, taking another bite of the creamy pasta.

"What about Travis?"

It was too late. Tony had seen my blush, even though I had draped my hair in front of my cheeks to hide it.

"Ohhh," Tony mused in a soft voice that made me very, very nervous. "Is he a secret lover?"

I coughed uncomfortably. "It's not really a secret…" I tucked my hair behind my ear, still blushing like mad. I refused to meet his gaze, instead staring at my pasta.

"Aw, and here you were, flirting with me."

"I was not!" I defended, glaring at him. He winked at me, and I realized he was just kidding. I huffed again.

"So, you're embarrassed to talk to your boyfriend in front of us?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. No. I… He…" I bit my lip, trying to think. "We've been best friends, literally, since we were born. And we've been dating off and on since we were fourteen."

Tony let out a low whistle. "Twelve years. That's impressive. And he hasn't popped the question?"

"No," I pouted. "I thought he was about to do it, but then I was taken, so…" I trailed off.

"How did that happen, anyways?" Tony questioned.

I smiled a little. It was nice to have somebody to talk to, even if that person was someone I had met just a couple days ago. Despite that fact, I knew I already trusted Tony with my life. I trusted the arrogant, selfish, narcissist more than I probably trusted anybody. Oh boy.

"Well, my biology teacher called me, saying something about him having a question about my term paper. It was like, ten o'clock at night, but I didn't think anythin' of it. But when I got into his office, the lights were off, and someone jumped me and knocked me out. Next thing I know, I'm in that place where you found me." I shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

"Was the biology teacher the one who took you?"

My brow furrowed, and I stared off in the distance. I had never thought of him being a suspect. "I don't… think so. The Boss' voice was different than his."

Tony smirked, cocking an eyebrow. "'The Boss'?" he repeated.

I rolled my eyes. "That's what I called the guy in charge. The little goons who… operated on me; I called them Lab Rats." I winked at him as he chuckled.

I had to admit, it was a little comforting knowing that Tony had been tortured and held hostage as well. He actually understood how I felt.

"There wasn't anybody who saved you?" I said, it sounding more like a statement rather than a question.

"Nope." Tony shook his head. "I saved myself."

"How did you make the suit? I mean, all by yourself in the middle of the desert?" I asked, finding myself a little intrigued.

Tony actually looked… pained. It was such a strange look on him, that it put me on edge. "It was actually a cave. And I had… help. There was another man… with me."

I could tell by Tony's expression that something bad had occurred in that cave in Afghanistan. "What happened to him?" I whispered.

"He died," Tony retorted, his voice void of any emotion. He looked at me, and I was startled to find his eyes were the same. Empty. "He died while we tried to escape."

I was quiet for a moment, unable to look away from Tony's gaze. If someone had been with me while I was taken-someone to talk to, someone to confide in, someone who could distract me from the pain-died as we escaped… I couldn't help but wince at the strong feeling of despair that stirred up in me.

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it," Tony chirped, already back to his dapper self. He patted my knee, pushing himself off the bed. "You done with that?" he asked, pointing at my empty plate. I just nodded, handing it to him.

He headed towards the door.

"Wait, Tony!" I called to his retreating back.

He paused in the doorway, turning to look back at me. "Yes?" he mused with a smirk.

"G'Night." I smiled at him.

He smirked a little. "Night, Annie." He shut the door.

I stared at the door for a little while, waiting for my eyes to get back adjusted to the darkness before sinking back down into my bed. I pulled the quilt up to my ears, marveling about how much emotion the "apathetic" Tony Stark felt.

* * *

**Yay, Tony and Annie talk about _feelings _and other icky stuff (; Lulz.**

**This is more of a filler chapter than anything... Just a little something to show their friendship.  
I really love these two. I really do. All the smirking and winking and witty banter.. *sigh* Heheheh.  
**

**Does somebody wanna take me to see Avengers again? I'm getting withdrawals... Dx  
**

**Hahahaha! Review and tell me what you think!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guiseee! :3 Thank you to everyone who reviewed yesterday, y'all made my day! I hope y'all aren't getting too bored reading this D: There'll be action soon, I promise!**

**OHMYJIGGLE. Guys. Thor 2 and Captain America 2 have been announced! I'm soooo excited! Gahhhhh! :D I'm gonna die. I can't wait two years.  
**

**ANDD guess what I knowww(; SPOILER ALERT: Bucky, who supposedly fell to his death in Cap America 1, IS STILL ALIVE. I know. Holy mother pancakes with syrup. How anyone survived that fall, I really don't know... But he's coming back in CA 2! YAYYY.  
**

**Okay, on to the story.  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**●Chapter Seven●  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

**Everything Else © Marvel  
**

* * *

The next day I woke up at a reasonable time. I changed into a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. My feet were starting to feel better, I noticed.

_Thank you, Tony Stark,_ I mused, almost sarcastically in my head. I smirked a little at my tone, shaking my head. Gosh, I was weird.

I stepped out of my room and nearly tripped over what was sitting in front of the door- a wheelchair.

I sneered at the thing before realizing how ridiculous I was being. It was a _wheelchair, _not a torture device. I noticed the sticky note stuck to the back of it.

_Pepper thought your feet could use a rest._

_ -Tony_

I smirked. Was it actually Pepper who had thought that or Tony? It seemed just like something he would do; blame an idea on Pepper, so I wouldn't know he actually cared about someone other than himself.

Well played, Tony Stark. Well played.

_Hold up, _I told myself. Who even said Tony liked you? I mean, come on. This was _Tony Stark _you're talking about. He could get just about any girl he wanted with a touch of a button. And you're a random girl he just met. He couldn't possibly care about you.

I was disgusted with myself, but I refused to believe that, instead blaming it on Tony. I crumbled the note in my fist, throwing it angrily at the chair. I huffed, frustrated, and tugged a hand through my hair. I stalked over to the kitchen, plopping down on a barstool. I glared daggers at the countertop, refusing to look up and meet Pepper's eyes.

She turned off the sink faucet, wiping her hands on a hand-towel. "Wanna talk about it?" she offered.

"No," I growled.

She slid a plate underneath me, and I took my anger out on the eggs with my fork. She sat beside me, starting on her single pancake.

"Do you know about my feet?" I suddenly snapped.

"Your feet?" Pepper looked at me in concern. "What's wrong with your feet?"

A small bud of triumph blossomed in my chest. Tony _did_ care. I just shook my head. "They've been a little sore from walking around."

"That's what you were mad about?" Pepper asked, eyebrows raised.

I smiled at my eggs. "Mostly."

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your girl bonding time?"

Speak of the devil.

"Morning Tony," I greeted through a mouthful of pancake.

"Please, don't talk with your mouth full; it's disgraceful and rather strange for a woman your age." He grabbed a plate and sat on my other side.

"No bonding; just talking," Pepper clarified. "Which, I no longer have time for." Pepper checked her watch before standing and dumping her plate in the sink.

"No, Pep, stay awhile! I didn't mean to chase you away!"

"No, seriously, I can't. I have one of _your_ meetings to go to," Pepper pressed, grabbing a briefcase off the kitchen table. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Bye, Pepper," Tony and I chimed at the same time.

As soon as she went out the door, Tony turned on me. "No wheelchair, I see. Pepper went to extra lengths to get that for you. She said something about how your feet need to be propped up to keep them from bleeding..." He shoveled a bite into his mouth, waving his hand around and refusing to make eye contact.

"Yeah. Pepper." I snorted.

He turned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that I, the narcissistic Ironman, might actually care about someone I just met?"

"Yep," I chirped confidently, popping my lips on the 'p'.

He didn't say anything; turning back and continuing to eat his food. I smirked triumphantly.

Natasha stalked into the kitchen, donned in skinny jeans and a simple, blue button-down. She scowled at the both of us, especially Tony, whilst putting a tiny amount of eggs on her plate.

She sat down at the kitchen table, ignoring Tony, who motioned for her to sit down beside him.

I stared at the scant amount of eggs on her plate-she didn't even get pancakes!-and frowned at the heap of food on my plate.

Oh well. I've lost twenty-odd pounds. I deserved a big meal if I was going to gain it back.

Speaking of gaining it back...

"So when are y'all gonna help me train?" I asked.

They both gave me wide-eyed looks.

"What?" I defended. "I've gotta get back in shape." I shrugged.

"Definitely not for a few days," Tony countered nonchalantly.

"Why not?" Natasha and I demanded at the same time.

"Tasha! Agent Romanoff," Tony corrected immediately upon Natasha's death glare. "The girl can barely walk."

"Excuse me!" I exclaimed, punching his arm. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

He frowned. "Sorry. But you're not up for it."

"Sure I am," I mumbled defiantly, stabbing my eggs again.

"Annie. You've managed to pass out, what, four, five times in the past two days?" Tony stated. "Natasha tackled you, and you couldn't even stand up again."

Furious now, I stood up sharply, resisting the urge to throw the plate at Tony. That would wipe the arrogant smirk off his face. I dumped the plate in the sink, stalking out of the kitchen.

"Annie. Annie!" Tony called behind me. I ignored him, keeping up my brisk pace, no matter how much my feet complained. I heard someone jogging behind me, but I refused to turn around or slow down.

"Annie, you don't have to try and walk normal anymore. It's just us," Tony stated, slowing down at my side.

I thought about it for a second before exhaling in relief. I started my weird limp, where I took turns supporting my weight on a certain leg. Tony held out his arm for me to hold onto, but I just glared at him.

"Fine. When you fall, I'm not helping you get back up."

"Whatever," I muttered through gritted teeth.

"Look." He grabbed my arm, turning me and making me face him. "You want my help? Fine. I'll help you. But not yet. You were just cut, drowned, and tortured. You have to have a few days to recover. I know how you feel, don't forget that," he hissed.

I yanked my arm away from him. "Okay," I mumbled. I shifted my feet awkwardly. My anger dissipated, I didn't know _how_ to feel. Grateful? No, there was enough anger for me to not be grateful yet. Happy? No. Content? …Maybe. "Tomorrow?"

"Absolutely not."

"Fine." I shrugged, turning back the way we came. "Natasha!"

"No, no, no, okay!" Tony relented, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. "But on two conditions." He held up his pointer finger. "You have to use the wheelchair."

I laughed. He couldn't be serious. My grin faded as I realized he was. "Absolutely not," I said firmly.

"Then I won't train with you. And, just to let you know, Agent Romanoff has been a deadly, kick-ass spy assassin since she was a kid. Her version of 'training' is to fight until somebody falls unconscious and even after that. Then, when they wake up, they repeat it until someone doesn't get up."

I couldn't help it. I gulped. I didn't doubt what Tony said in the least. "Fine," I muttered darkly. He smirked triumphantly. "The second condition?"

He now held up two fingers. "Two. You have to let me bring in a doctor."

If looks could kill. If looks could kill. If _only_ looks could kill. Tony would be in flames right now. "You can't bring in a doctor, the first thing they'll do is put fluids in me," I snapped.

"I won't let him. Okay? I'll describe your 'condition'," he did bunny ears around 'condition', "and he won't get near you with any liquids. Deal?" He held out his hand.

I glared furiously at him. This was absolutely humiliating. A wheelchair _and_ a doctor. No mucho happy. "Deal," I spat, shaking his outstretched hand.

He rolled his eyes, continuing to hold my arm as we headed back to my room. He was discretely trying to hold me upright, but I didn't fight against him. Actually, I was quite grateful. I ended up almost completely leaning against him before he helped me into the wheelchair.

"Now, whenever you get the chance, prop your feet up like this." Tony tenderly grabbed my ankles, and I rolled my eyes. He lifted my feet up until they were perpendicular to my torso. "It'll help stop the bleeding," he explained.

"Okay, Doc," I smirked, winking at him before successfully wheeling myself full on into the door. "Crud!" I hissed, rubbing my knees. I _thought_ I had left my door cracked open. Obviously not. Tony was trying (and failing) to conceal his laughter.

"Shut up," I warned, my cheeks flaming, as he opened the door for me. I wheeled myself into my room and slammed the door in his face. I allowed myself a small giggle before going over and setting my feet up on my bed.

* * *

"Miss Collins."

I stirred sharply, realizing I had fallen asleep in my wheelchair. I inhaled sharply, running a hand over my face.

"Miss Collins, the doctor is here to see you. They are waiting in the kitchen," Jarvis stated, ever polite.

I groaned, wheeling myself backwards. My legs fell numbly to the ground, completely asleep. I cursed as I got that awful tingly feeling you get when the numbness starts to fade away.

I headed towards the kitchen, following the sounds of the fridge opening. I still didn't trust myself not to get lost.

I had to admit, this wheelchair was nice. My feet were safe and sound- absolutely no complaint from them.

"Ah, there she is! The man of the hour!" Tony greeted, arms wide, as I came around the bar and into the kitchen. "Or, should I say, woman. Oh well. AnnaMarie, meet Doctor…" he trailed off, looking at the man who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Doctor Greene," the man finished for him. He came over and shook my hand. "It's nice to meet you, AnnaMarie."

I nodded briskly. "Can we just hurry up and get this over with?" I snapped.

"Hey, there's no reason to take your anger out on the Doctor," Tony chastised.

I ignored him, wheeling in front of the doctor, who sat in front of me in a chair. "Will you kick your legs up here, please?" he asked, patting his lap.

I did as he asked and tried not to wince as he pulled off the bandages on my feet. He looked at them, horrified. "What happened to you?"

"I thought you told him!" I exclaimed, looking at Tony.

"What? I just told him about your condition, not the tortured part!" he countered. He looked behind me at something. I was about to turn around, but the doctor grabbed my attention.

"T- Tortured?"

I sighed. "Chill out; I wasn't shot or anything," I snapped. "When I didn't do what they asked, they whipped my feet. Oh please, I thought you were trained for this sort of thing."

The doctor, looking slightly embarrassed, indignant, and sickened out, turned back to my feet. I caught movement to my left, and I looked to see Natasha jumping up on the countertop. She was watching quietly, her face emotionless.

"I have a- a cream in my car that I'm going to need you to apply to your feet twice a day; in the morning and at night. I want you to do that for the next week." I nodded, realizing he was waiting for a response from me before continuing. "I'm going to need you to take your shirt off."

"Okay, I'm done!" I exclaimed, turning and attempting to wheel away as fast as I could.

"No, you don't," Tony stated. I could _hear_ the amusement in his voice as he grabbed the handles and spun me back around to the doctor.

"Tony. Have I ever told you I hate you?" I said innocently, shooting him a huge, fake smile.

He smirked. "Love you too." He leaned against the countertop, and I gave him a crazy look.

"What do you think you're doing? Get out of here!" I exclaimed.

His smirk fell, and he pouted, crossing his arms. "Fine," he snapped, turning and walking out of the kitchen and the small living room. "Or…" he turned, his smile suddenly turning devious. "I could just watch the security tapes."

"Do that, and I'll torch you in your sleep," I threatened darkly, glaring at him furiously.

He huffed and continued on his way out.

"I'll call you when he's done," I said sweetly. Was that just my imagination, or did he just flip me off? I couldn't help but snicker, and I saw Natasha smiling. She was pretty when she smiled.

"Alright," the doctor urged.

I huffed, giving him the most venomous glare I could muster. He shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet my gaze. I gently took my shirt off, careful to not move too fast. My arms were still sore.

He gasped, and I think even Natasha's breath caught in her throat. I looked down and groaned. It looked even worse than the other day.

"It's not as bad as it looks…" I offered weakly, knowing it was much, much worse than it looked.

"I'm _really_ sorry for tackling you the other day," Natasha stated, staring with wide eyes at my torso.

I rolled my eyes. They were overreacting.

"Um, okay, well, I think it goes without saying you need a couple days of rest, at the least-"

"But I'm not normal," I defended. "I don't need to rest. This stuff normally would've gone away by now. I don't know why it has-" I broke off as the truth dawned on me. "It's the _freaking_ water."

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked.

"They put water in me-the scientists, I mean- and that must be slowing down my healing process. Doc, how long's it gonna take to get all the water out of me?"

"Depends. Water leaves the body in many ways naturally- urine, sweat, tears, et cetera."

"Well if I've been crying a lot recently…"

"Then the water should be gone by tomorrow."

I couldn't help it. I threw my hands above my head and screamed out in triumph, much to the doctor's and Natasha's dismay. "Thank you, doc~!" I sang, kissing the side of his head. I grabbed my shirt, wrestling it back on as I ran out of the room.

I made it all the way to the hallway before realizing I had forgotten my wheelchair. I turned on my heel, darting back. I grabbed it and pulled it behind me, jumping in it and wheeling myself back to my room, nearly running over Tony.

"What'd the doc say?"

I kept on going, calling over my shoulder, "We're training tomorrow, Tony!"

* * *

**AWWWHHHH Tony got Annie a wheelchair! Soooo sweet X) He _does_ care!**

**And yay, Annie'll be back to normal soon! Woot woot~ You'll get to see her do what she does best- butt kickery (;  
**

**Reviewers get my loveeee~  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay guys! No _major _butt-kickery in this chapter. Natasha would say something differently, but don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about.  
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**And, saying that, I'm going to lock all my doors and hide in a corner. Wish me luck!  
**

**●Chapter Eight●  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

**Everything Else © The genius himself, Stan Lee.**

* * *

The next day, I efficiently managed to sleep in until noon. Growling and cursing at myself for sleeping for almost fourteen hours, I jumped off the bed.

On my ottoman, I saw a circular tub that had some fancy, scientifical name on the side. There was a sticky note underneath that read 'Foot cream', along with some fresh gauze.

I sat down, dipping my fingers in the yellow cream. I swung my foot up and nearly fell off the couch in surprise.

The cuts, whereas yesterday they had looked like oversized paper cuts, _were now closed. _I shrieked in surprise, jumping up and running over to the bathroom. I pulled my shirt collar down to see that the bruises were hardly there, just looking like red spots on my neck and chest. I did a little victory dance, happy that the water was now _officially_ gone. I quickly changed into a tight tank top and nike shorts, remembering that today I was going to start training.

I went back to the ottoman and smeared the paste on my feet. It stung a little at first, but then it soothed it to the point where I couldn't help but sigh in relief. I wrapped the gauze tightly around my feet and swung myself into the wheelchair.

I wouldn't admit it to anyone other than myself, but I secretly enjoyed the wheelchair. And I think that was just because I was lazy as crap, and the wheelchair meant I didn't have to walk everywhere.

I wheeled out of my room, uneasy to hear absolutely nothing. I bit my lip. I had no clue how to get back to the kitchen.

"Um… Jarvis?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes?" he responded politely.

"Um. Where's the kitchen?" It was a little disconcerting to talk to walls, I'll admit. I would have some trouble adjusting to it.

"Down the hall, fifth door on the left. Just like it's always been," he added. I knew that the robot was getting a little sarcastic.

"Jarvis, don't make me kick your butt," I threatened, following his directions.

"You can't," he countered, matter-of-factly.

I grumbled under my breath, rolling into the kitchen. No one was there. "Where is everybody?" I asked myself, opening the fridge.

"Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, and Agent Romanoff are all in the basement," Jarvis responded, making me jump and accidentally slam the fridge door on my finger.

"_Dammit_ Jarvis!" I yelled, waving my finger in the air, trying to get it to stop hurting.

"You asked." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"I hate you," I muttered, wheeling out of the kitchen. "How do I get to the basement?"

Jarvis gave me directions, even showing me to an elevator! How sweet of him. Which lead me to the question _Why the hell would Tony have an elevator? _I didn't even bother asking, just wheeled myself down the little ramp.

"Oh God," I groaned softly as I encountered stairs. I stood up slowly, my legs stiff from not being used. I decided to abandon the wheelchair; I needed to get some exercise anyways.

I walked down the stairs, coming out into a wide area. In the middle, there was a little fighting pen, currently occupied by a man covered with padding. Natasha was leaning against the side of the pen, watching Pepper and Tony, who were sitting in two armchairs a little off to the side.

They all looked at me at the same time. "What?" I demanded. Was there something on my face?

"Where's the wheelchair?" Natasha asked.

"Wheelchair? Why was she in a wheelchair?" Pepper asked Tony, looking around at all of us.

I waved behind me. "It's at the top of the stairs. I didn't feel like pulling it down here. What are y'all doin'?"

"Little red riding hood here was about to beat the crap out of our test dummy," Tony stated, ignoring Natasha's glare.

"Good," I chirped, going and sitting on the arm of Pepper's chair, seeing as there were no more seats.

It _literally_ took three seconds. She jumped on him, wrapping her thighs around his neck to pull him down to the ground. She landed heavily beside him, gracefully sliding on top of his back and wrapping her arm around his neck in a chokehold. He tapped out almost immediately. She huffed, standing up.

"This is no fun," she growled, leaving the pen.

"My turn!" I jumped up, purposely struggling to get up into the pen. Man, would they be surprised when I put the beat down on this guy when I was still supposedly 'wounded'.

"Um, _no,_" Tony stated, and I just smirked at him.

"You ready?" I asked the guy.

"No, don't fight her, she's severely wounded. She just got out of a wheelchair," Tony demanded.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't listen to him."

"It's not fair-"

"Shut up." I dismissed his protest. "Ready? On the count of three. One… two…"

"Honestly, I can't-"

"Three!" I exclaimed. My leg flew up, kicking him in the side of his protective gear. I hadn't kicked him hard enough to knock him over, even though he stumbled a bit. I smirked, moving back to the edge of the pen.

He looked up at me, scowling before he started to run at me. I grinned, running forward a bit before I tucked my leg underneath me, sliding under him like I would slide into a base. I jumped up, spinning around and kicking him as hard as I could in the small of his back.

I honestly didn't mean to send him flying out of the pen. It was an accident, I swear. I laughed giddily, vaulting over the ropes and landing on his stomach. His breath whooshed out of him as I brought my elbow up and back down, _hard,_ into his chest.

He tapped out, and I stood up. I grinned at Tony and Pepper, who were staring with dropped jaws, and Nat who was smirking a little.

"Oh, did I forget to mention the extra water in my body's gone?" I asked innocently. "My bad." I was smiling so wide my cheeks were hurting. I hadn't felt this good in forever.

"Okay," Nat said, standing. "You and me, now."

I swung easily up into the pen, smirking at her. Inwardly, I was a little nervous. I knew she was about to kick my butt. _You just saw her attack. First thing she does is go for the neck. So, duck, _I told myself.

"Go easy on her," Tony warned.

"Shut up," we both said at the same time. Nat counted to three, and I ducked.

Right into her swinging foot. We both didn't expect it, so we ended up rolling to either side. I jumped up as she rushed at me. I ducked underneath her fist, slamming my elbow into her stomach.

She oof-ed, stumbling. I took advantage of her stage, going to kick her knees out from under her. Too late, I realized she was faking, as she grabbed my ankle, throwing me into the ropes on the other side.

She waited a moment for me to stand. She just stood there, arms crossed and hip jutted out in complete arrogance. She even smirked.

I was _not_ that easy of a fighting partner. I charged her, meaning to tackle her clean off the pen, but she dodged, dead-legging me. I smashed into the ground, and she jumped on top of me, one arm pressed against the back of my neck, the other holding my hair.

She yanked my head up before crashing it back down, stopping centimeters before I hit the ground of the pen.

"You watched me fight _once_, and you thought you knew everything about my technique. _Don't_ underestimate your opponent," she hissed in my ear, standing up. I rolled over, and she offered me her hand. I glared at it for a second, before she gave me a faint smile. "You wanted my help; I'm helping you."

I sighed, shaking my head and smiling as I accepted her hand. "Guess I need a lotta help, huh?" I rubbed the back of my head, which was a little sore from her yanking my hair.

She shrugged, smirking.

"What's next?" I asked, turning to Tony with my arms crossed.

"Next, you and me will go take a little walk," he said, crooking his finger, motioning for me to follow him as he walked up the stairs. I followed, walking around my chair.

"I really hope you mean run," I stated, catching up to him.

"Nope."

"But, Tony, the water's gone-"

"Yes, I know the water's gone, but you're still out of shape," he snapped as we went outside. As soon as I stepped outside, I had to squint and block my eyes. The sun was glaring down on the sand, which was blinding me. "You've lost a lot of weight, and you're still injured."

I grumbled to myself as we walked down the beach, stopping right before the ocean. I subconsciously took a big step back as the water came rushing up to my feet.

"Okay, let's go," he said, walking down the sand, the ocean on our right. I looked to the left and, in the distance, I could see tall buildings reaching up to the sky. My brow furrowed.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Malibu."

I spun around, facing him. "California?"

He nodded. "Yep. Why?"

I just shook my head. I had figured we were at least _somewhat_ close to Alabama. We started walking. "Where did you find me?"

"In Oklahoma," he answered.

My jaw dropped. "O-Oklahoma?"

"Do you have a problem with states or something?" Tony teased, elbowing me in the side.

I shook my head, eyes wide. "N-No. I thought- God, I've been in _Oklahoma _all this time?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I was _supposed_ to take you to Colorado," Tony mused.

"Why?" I questioned. "What's in Colorado?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. It's some defensive operation with the government." He waved his hand around nonchalantly, rolling his eyes. "The director was the one who sent me to get you."

"Oh," I said simply. Well, that was one question answered. "Why didn't you take me there?"

He looked away, staring off into the distance as we walked. He scrunched his nose up a little as he thought. "I'm not entirely sure. I knew you would freak if you woke up in a hospital, which is where they would've put you, plus you looked so… sad. I couldn't just deliver you to them."

I smirked. "Anthony Stark, did you actually feel compassion for another human being?" I teased in mock-surprise.

"Technically, you aren't human," he corrected. "And I never told you my name was Anthony." He stared at me, putting two-and-two together in his head. "Wait… You were _lying_ when you said you didn't know who I was!"

I scoffed, giggling. "Of _course_ I was lying, idiot! Who _doesn't_ know you? Gee, for being a genius, you're really stupid." I looked over at him and couldn't help but laugh at his mortified expression as he stopped walking. I kept going, grinning to myself.

"That's not funny to joke about! I felt so sorry for you!" he called, jogging to catch up with me.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Tony."

"And I don't even get an apology." He pretended to cry.

"I'm _sorry_ Tony," I drawled, poking his stomach and smiling up at him.

"Good." He snapped out of it, smiling at me as well.

"So, is Nat a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. or something?" I asked after a moment.

He nodded. "Director Fury sent her to come get you since I hadn't brought you back."

I frowned. "What does he want with me?" I asked, worry tainting my voice.

"Nothing bad, I'm sure," Tony reassured, recognizing my tone. "Probably just to examine your powers or something."

I kicked up sand with my feet. "They would've run tests on me."

"No, they wouldn't have. And they aren't going to. They're not the bad guys, Annie, I swear."

I bit my lip, looking doubtfully up at him. "So… Am I going to have to leave?"

"Nope," Tony answered immediately. "Not for a while, at least. Nat's already talked to the Director, and he agreed to let you stay here as long as Nat can stay and watch you."

Comforted by Tony's answer, I smiled a little and kept on walking.

* * *

**Poor Annie. Getting her butt whooped right after she's back to normal.  
**

**Speaking of back to normal, WOOT WOOT, the water's gone! Yayyy! Annie is officially back to her self, powers and all. I'm excited for y'all to get to see her powers!  
**

**Reviews make my day !(:  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**The shortest chapter yet! Sorry for that, guys D: That being said, I don't think it's _too_ short...  
**

**Ohmygosh, I finished this story, and I'm already writing the sequel with all the Avengers in it and ASDFGJFDFG I love it. I love Annie, and I love all the Avengers, and I especially love them together. AHHHH~  
**

**Sorry for the rant... I'm just so excited for you guys to read it! :D  
**

**And guys... Here's the _official _chapter for the _official _butt-kickery. Enjoy.  
**

**●Chapter Nine●  
**

**Annie © Me  
**

**Everyone Else © Marvel**

* * *

The next few days were a constant routine. Fighting with Nat, running with Tony, then the four of us going to dinner, if Pepper didn't have a meeting. I liked the repetitiveness. It made little room for me to ponder my dilemma.

Through the constant training and lack of fluids, my wounds had all healed up nicely. The bruises were gone, and the only evidence to my… ordeal were the scars on my feet.

I strode into the living room, surprised to see Tony sitting there. He was blankly watching the T.V. before turning to see me. His eyes lit up a little, and he grinned. "Annie! Come here!" he patted the spot next to him, and I plopped down.

"Are you watching the news?" I asked, crinkling up my nose.

"No, _that_ would be a commercial," he sneered sarcastically.

I stuck my tongue out, reaching over him and grabbing the remote. "I don't need sarcasm, Stark," I mumbled, searching for something to watch. "Eh mi gawd!" I exclaimed. "Alabama softball!"

I clicked the channel, and the image switched to a softball field. I started bouncing up and down, ecstatic to be watching the sport. Gosh, I missed being on the field.

"Annie," Tony grabbed my arm. "Settle down, it's just T.V."

I pouted, crossing my arms across my chest, sitting back against the couch. He rolled his eyes, muttering something along the lines of "Drama queen". Which, subsequently, got him smacked in the face with a throw pillow.

"Oh, _God, _they picked _Ashley Miller_ as my replacement?" I screeched, staring at screen with wide eyes. "Are you _freaking kidding me?"_

"Women," Tony mumbled, and I punched his arm.

"This is _serious,_ Tony! That girl _sucks!"_

He rolled his eyes. "Totally. We should go take care of the situation."

"I wish," I grumbled, unhappy that I couldn't go play. I felt Tony's eyes on my face, but I ignored him, concentrating on the game. I groaned and jumped up and down and cheered appropriately until Nat walked in, rubbing her eyes.

"What the hell is going on," she growled, still half-asleep.

"Softball," Tony explained.

After the second inning- _only the second inning!- _Tony got bored. Shocker. He turned off the T.V., jumping up to get out of the way of my fist.

"Come on. Let's go do something."

I was glaring at him, so it was Nat who asked, "Do what?"

"I dunno…" He stared off into the distance. "Wait!" he exclaimed.

"No," I growled immediately, still glaring.

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine." He shrugged nonchalantly. Uh oh. Not a good sign. "If you don't want to go catch your first criminal, it's fine with me."

"What?" I shrieked, leaping to my feet. "Come on, let's go!"

"But, you said no," he said sweetly.

"Tony Stark I _will_ slap you!" I threatened.

He grinned, linking his arm with mine. "Well, since you asked nicely. You can come too, Tasha," he added over his shoulder.

I was practically giddy with excitement before I realized that we weren't heading for the door. We were going towards the… garage? Oh, duh, to get a car, doofus- Wait, now where were we going?

Told you. I was god-awful with directions.

"Tony, where are we going?" I whined.

"You'll see," he said with a smirk.

He pulled me into the shop, and I huffed. He could've just _said_ so-

"_Oh,_" I breathed, unlinking my arm and running over to the uniform laying across the table.

The top was a red leather corset-looking-thing with a sweetheart neckline. A three-inch-wide gap stretched down along each side, going from my armpits down to the bottom of the top. It was tied together with black string. The bottoms were leather as well- tight and black. The boots were pointed at the top and red. There were two black gloves that stretched up to my elbows. And, finally, there was a mask. It was solid red and dipped down in a gentle curve under my cheeks. From there, it went up, finally stopping well past my temples. It had little "wings" and jagged designs along the edges that could pass as flames.

"I remember you telling me something about your clothes burning whenever you caught on fire, so I figured you could probably need a suit. All the fabric is completely fire resistant. You don't even want to know how hard it was-"

Tony stopped rambling as I threw my arms around his neck. I buried my face in his shoulder, clutching him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you!" _I cheered.

He was surprised for a second before I felt his arms wrap around my waist. "Don't worry about it, Annie."

I pulled away, grinning hugely as I held the mask up to my face, turning to Nat and Tony. "How do I look?" I asked, striking a pose. Tony laughed, and Nat smiled. I gathered all the fabric in my arms, dashing off to the nearest bathroom.

I swear, that stuff may look harmless enough, but it was definitely Anna-proof. "Oh my _God!" _I exclaimed after I fell for the tenth time trying to put on my pants. Eventually, I wrestled myself into all the fabric and looked at myself in the mirror.

I'm not normally one to brag, nor am I like Tony and am in love with myself, but _good grief. _I looked good. It hugged all the right places, showing off my curves. I walked out of the bathroom, satisfied with the way Tony's eyes widened.

I raised an eyebrow, jutting my hip out and smirking playfully. "Like what you see?" I teased.

He nodded, and I laughed, strutting over to him and handing him the mask. "Will you put this on?" I turned and he tied the strings.

I looked down at myself and laughed giddily, twirling around in a circle. "I feel like a superhero," I breathed, skipping over to the door.

"You aren't," Nat reminded me. "At least, not yet."

An hour later found us sitting in the car. Tony was constantly pestering me about showing my powers, but I told him to shut up every time. He'd see soon enough.

As crazy as this is, it's a lot harder to find crime in Malibu than you'd think. Nat was drifting off when we finally stumbled upon a bank-robbery. I grinned, excited beyond belief. I nearly threw myself out of the car, but Tony grabbed my arm.

"Annie, listen," he said seriously, making me grow somber. "You are _not_ invincible. Chances are these people have guns on them, okay? A gun shot could kill you. Be careful."

"Okay, _mom,_" I sneered, but on the inside, I was touched. Tony was worried about me.

"I'm serious, Annie!" He sighed in exasperation.

"I know you are. I was just kidding. I'll be careful. Wish me luck~" I sang, stepping out of the car. I ignored the weird looks I was sent as I ran across the street, bursting into the bank.

Two men were standing at the counters, bags in hand. They glanced over their shoulders. One just turned back to the lady, but the other turned and faced me.

He sneered. "I'm sorry but the freak show's two blocks down."

"Ha, ha, very funny," I said sarcastically. "Are you just gonna stand there all day, or am I actually gonna have to tell you to put the money down?" I put a hand on my hip, tilting my head to the side.

"You won't be sayin' anythin' pretty soon," he promised, raising his gun.

I did a barrel roll towards him, the bullet whizzing over my head before I leaped to my feet. I grabbed the gun out of his hands and was about to kick him when something distracted me.

"Annie! Are you alright?"

The guy punched me in the face, and that, combined with the halfway completed kick, made me lose my balance and fall over.

"Not anymore!" I shouted at Tony, annoyed as the guy fell on top of me, holding my wrists down with his hands, trying to grab at the gun.

I smirked and got to witness his confused face before my hands caught on fire. He screamed like a little girl, leaping up and howling as he patted his hand out on his shirt. I jumped up, grinning as I landed a punch to his stomach.

He started screaming in pure terror as his shirt caught on fire. I snapped my fingers and the fire went out. I grabbed the bag of money, turning and throwing it at Tony and Nat, who were standing in the doorway. Nat easily caught it. "Behind you!" she warned.

My triumphant smile fell off my face as I spun around. The other guy had gotten a headstart, and managed to hit me in the head with his full bag of money. I toppled over, flipping onto my back just in time to see him pull the trigger of the gun he had aimed at me.

Luckily for me, I had super-speed on my side. Well, that's what I liked to call it. It was actually just reflexes. I rolled out of the way, sitting up and supporting my weight with one leg while the other kicked the man's legs out from underneath him. He fell onto his back, and I kicked the gun out of his hands.

"You should really be more careful with that thing, it can really hurt somebody," I patronized, grabbing the bag.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the other guy trying to crawl away. I dropped the bag for a second as my hands caught on fire again. I formed a ball of fire and held it with my right hand. I threw it right in front of his face, purposely missing. It flew by him, catching the tapestry behind him on fire. He looked over, wide-eyed.

"Are you gonna be a good boy and sit there? Because next time I won't miss."

He nodded and froze.

I smiled, picking up the bag again. Nat strolled over, handing me the other one. "Impressive," she stated. "But very sloppy." I stuck my tongue out at her back as she walked back over the way she had come.

I handed the bags of money to the frazzled woman sitting behind the desk. Poor thing, she looked scared to death. I headed for the door.

"Um, m-ma'am?" she stuttered. I stopped and turned to face her. "Will you s-stop that fire, p-please?" She pointed sheepishly to the tapestry that was still burning.

I smiled and waved my hand, and the fire went out.

"Hey, what's your name, superhero?" Tony called with a smirk, standing by the door with his arms crossed.

I grinned, thinking about the name we had discussed on the way back.

"Inferno!"

* * *

**YAYYYYY. ANNIE'S A SUPERHERO.**** CAN I GET A WOOT WOOT?  
**

**It feels like at the end of every chapter, I'm cheering over _something _Annie's done. Oh my gosh. I'm officially a Mom guys... And my daughter is now officially a superhero! :D  
**

**Hahahahah! Guys, this is the suit: art/The-Suit-317219422 (the quality is absolute crap, so it looks awful). And here's the mask: favourites/#/d37008d (i didn't take the picture. and i don't own the mask. i wish though. it's pretty.)  
**

**Review, pretty pwease? (:  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I'm sorry to inform y'all that I'll be gone for three days while I'm at Florida.**

**Okay, you caught me, I'm not sorry at all. THE BEACHHHH. Woot-woot! Lulz. (;**

**So the next chapter will be up either late on Tuesday or Wednesday!**

**A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited! I never expected to get this big of a response for my story, not at least until longgg after I had finished the story! But I'm only about halfway through and I've already got 20 reviews! Y'all are the best! (:**

**●Chapter Ten●**

**Annie © Me**

**Everything Else © Marvel**

* * *

I had dropped the criminals off at the police station (I didn't go in, obviously. I didn't want to be arrested for being a vigilante). I waited until I got back in the car before doing my happy dance.

"I did it!" I sang excitedly, giving Tony a high-five.

He chuckled, rolling his eyes at me before pulling away from the curb.

"I mean, did you see the looks in their eyes when they saw my hands?" I asked, laughing to myself.

"You should've seen Tony's face," Nat added from the backseat, smirking. "He looked like he had just seen a monkey kissing a baby walrus with wings."

"Ha, you really should've seen Agent Romanoff's face," Tony chirped, doing his best attempt of a serious face, his mouth turning into a grim, straight line.

I laughed, and Tony chimed in. "Gee, Nat, happy to see you were impressed." I winked at her, and she scoffed.

"I told you your powers were impressive!" she defended.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about my personality," I threw back, smirking.

"Oh my God, one Stark was enough," she muttered.

Tony and I laughed, fist-bumping.

By the time we got home, we had officially irritated the mess out of Nat. She pretty much launched herself out of the car, striding quickly out of the garage.

I chuckled, staring after her. "Seems like we successfully scared her off," I chimed.

"Huh. Guess we did." He winked at me before climbing out of the car. I followed suit, waving at Lily, who was buzzing from across the room.

I followed Tony, frowning in the uncomfortable silence. "This suit is so uncomfy," I stated, pulling down the pants a little. "I don't know how you handle wearing metal."

He shrugged. "You get used to it after a while," he said simply. "So was that all you can do?"

"Was what?"

"The fire thing. Catch your hands on fire, throw fireballs...?" Tony trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blanks.

"Yeah. From what I know, anyway," I added, muttering the last part.

"What? So you mean... You're not sure yet? You haven't... tested other things?" Tony asked.

I shook my head. "I didn't really have much time or reason to."

"Well now you do," Tony prodded me in the side with his elbow, and I smiled a little.

We made it to the kitchen, finding Pepper and Nat sitting close together, whispering. This automatically made my stomach turn a little- it was beyond weird that they would talk like that. From what I've seen of the two together, it was the very definition of awkward. And now they were talking it up like they were best friends.

They caught sight of us and instantly stopped. Natasha leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest with an impassive look on her face while Pepper coughed nervously and blushed.

"Congratulations!" Pepper chirped, giving me a hug that I uncomfortably returned. "Your first villian." She held me out at arm's-length, holding onto my shoulders.

I glanced over at Tony, silently willing him to help me. He raised an eyebrow and just smirked, amused by my awkwardness. I glared back, and he winked.

"Nat told me everything. Good job," she praised before going to stand next to the counter.

"Thanks." I gave her a small smile.

"So, if you ladies don't mind, I think I'll take the three of you to a victory dinner tonight. It'll be strictly formal, so dresses, please." Tony said with a smirk.

"I can't," Nat stated, standing and crossing her arms. Tony raised his eyebrows in question. "I have to meet with a S.H.I.E.L.D. representative."

"Yeah, me either," Pepper added. "I have to go to a meeting with MIT."

Tony sighed, turning to me. "Guess it's just you and me, then. Be ready in two hours. Wear something pretty." He winked and left.

An hour and fifteen minutes later found me stomping my foot in frustration, standing in my closet with only a towel on.

"AnnaMarie? You okay?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Nat curiously peering around my door. She raised her eyebrows at my attire, easing herself into the room.

I huffed, pouting. "I don't have anything to wear."

She smiled a little. "I think I can help with that. As long as you let me fix your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked, frowning as I self-consciously patted my wild, brown curls.

She gave me a sheepish grin before stepping forward and grabbing my hand. "We have to hurry."

"Are you two ready yet?" Tony demanded for the tenth time, knocking on the door.

"Stark, I will hurt you if you touch that door again," Natasha threatened, pulling the top half of my hair back into a half-up ponytail.

"Are you sure this isn't too dressy?" I questioned, biting my recently-glossed lips.

"Stop that," she snapped, swatting at my shoulder. I let go of my lip, giving her an apologetic smile in the mirror. "Absolutely not. If anything, you're under-dressed."

"Annie, I swear if you come out in jeans and a t-shirt-" Tony exclaimed before Nat cut him off with a swift, "Shut up, Stark!"

"There. Done." Nat stepped back, and I stood up, admiring myself in the mirror.

The dress I had borrowed from Nat was gorgeous; it was a black tanktop with white buttons all down the front. The bottom went down to my mid-thighs and flared a little at the ends, and the back was lace down to my waist. My hair was curled into tight waves, the top half pulled back while the rest fell just past my shoulders.

"Thanks, Nat," I said, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. I looked healthy, and I had gained back some of my muscle mass, so I was no longer thin and sickly-looking.

Nat smiled and nodded, walking over and opening the door, revealing a very frustrated Tony Stark.

"It's about damn time-" Tony cut off, his eyes snapping over to me. He raised an eyebrow, and I felt an uncharacteristic blush creep on my cheeks. "You clean up good for an invalid."

"I'm not an invalid," I mumbled in protest. I smoothed down the sides of my dress, feeling strangely nervous. "Are you sure this is okay? I'm not too dressed up?" I looked up at Tony, who was wearing a slick, dark gray suit and yellow and blue striped tie, and figured I was probably okay.

"No, you're fine, you look great. Come on," he waved me over, where he put his hand on the small of my back, steering me to one of the über expensive cars.

We made small talk on the twenty minute ride to the restaraunt, which looked huge. Tony put his hand on my back again as he led me into the dimly lit building. Immediatly, I noticed the thick smell of pasta, the Christmas lights shining, and the live violins and various soothing instruments.

Tony moved away from me, stepping over to talk to a man standing behind a podium. "Reservations for two," Tony stated, rapping on the wooden stand.

The man looked disgruntled, scowling while picking up two menus. "This way sir. Madam." He held out his arm, gesturing out to the main seating area.

Feeling a little uneasy, I sat down at the table the man directed us to, Tony sitting across from me.

"Enjoy the meal," the man stated, walking away.

Tony picked up the menu, opening it. I looked around me, marveling at the deep, red carpet and mahogany wood walls. There was an elevated platform hosting a piano, a couple violins, a cello and a few other instruments that I didn't recognize. There were other couples in the room, mostly older people.

I opened the menu, observing the lists of food. My eyes scanned over to the prices, and I accidentally let out a loud squawk, causing me to receive several rather hostile glares.

"Um, Annie, the menu won't hurt you," Tony stated.

"I know it won't, but the prices might..." I muttered the last part, trailing off.

"The prices? Oh, don't worry about it." Tony waved it off.

"Tony, the _soup _is almost thirty dollars!" I protested in a harsh whisper, wary to raise my voice again. Those looks had freaked me out a bit.

"So? Your point?" Tony asked.

"_My point_, is that I'm not eating here," I hissed, standing up and walking around the table.

Tony grabbed my wrist. "Hang on a second- what do you mean you aren't eating here?"

"This place is way too expensive. I don't have enough money to pay you back for this," I said, my stomach churning. Letting me stay with him for a week or so, sure, I could clear that out. But it would take a while. _This _was just too much.

"Pay me back?" Tony questioned, brow furrowed. "You don't have to do that. I've got money to spare."

"Well I don't," I snapped.

His hand slid a little farther down, wrapping around my fingers and giving them a comforting squeeze. I looked down at our hands in surprise.

"Annie, honestly. This is my treat. You don't have to pay me back. For anything," he promised earnestly.

I sighed in exasperation, staring into his brown eyes for something else. I never understood those people who said eyes are the windows to the soul. When I looked into someone's eyes, I didn't see anything other than the color.

"Fine," I grumbled, easing myself back down into the chair.

God, this would be a hard debt to pay out.

* * *

**Yay, date night! Hahah. Almost. (;**

**Annie gets a little freaked out by the prices. Uh-oh. Silly Annie, don't you know Tony's a billioniare who loves to throw his money away?**

**Hahaha! See y'all in a few days! Don't miss me too much(;**


	11. Chapter 11

**OH MY GOSH GUYS I AM SOOOOO SORRY.**

**No, sorry doesn't even begin to describe it! If you want to chase me down with pitchforks, then you can! (I advise against it, though, since I have two german shepherds...) Something weird happened with the site, and I accidentally posted a repeat of Chapter Nine, and then y'all have probably gotten 20 bajillion notifications of me reposting Chapter Nine over and over again because I couldn't figure out how to post Chapter Ten D: Finally I figured it out!  
**

**So, to help with the confusion, I'm back from the beach. I only have one more book for summer reading, I wrote my AP Human Geography paper, and I accidentally read an extra summer reading book. But, other than that, all is well!(:  
**

**For the week of August 6th, I regret to inform you that I am starting school. Yes, it is that early. While I have all the remaining chapters for this story typed up and saved on my computer, I probably won't be able to continue everyday updates. But, then again, I might be able to. I have no clue.  
**

**Annnnyyyyywaaaayyyysssss, I hope this chapter makes up for everything! Warning... Lots of fluff. Be prepared.  
**

**And, also, seeing as this song has been one of my loves these past few weeks, after Annie gets off the phone with Travis [ohohoho, spoiler(;], immediately go to everyone's best friend youtube and begin to play Come Over by Kenny Chesney. It fits. By goodness it fits.  
**

**Okay, I'm done talking. Enjoy! (:  
**

**●Chapter Eleven●  
**

**Tony, Jarvis © Marvel  
**

**Annie, Travis © Me  
**

* * *

Tony and I walked into the kitchen, giggling and laughing. When we finally trailed off, I ended up grinning at him while he smiled back.

"You know, you're not the worst company fire-fists," Tony teased, patting my arm.

I gave him a light-hearted scowl. "Don't call me that." My tone was supposed to be threatening, but I ended up smiling at the end, unable to help myself.

"That might just have to be a new nickname." Tony winked, reaching around me to get into the refrigerator. His arm brushed against my waist, and I stepped sharply out of the way, leaning against the counter and putting my hands in my pockets.

"Um, I think not," I countered, smirking.

He pulled out a can of soda, shutting the door. The light from his ... arc reactor? was glowing brightly in the dark. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Jarvis.

"Miss Collins, you have a phone call," Jarvis announced in his polite voice.

"Thanks, Jarv!" I called, bouncing over to the phone on the counter. I snatched it up, answering and putting it up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, is this Anna?"

"Um, yes, it is," I turned and furrowed my brows at Tony, who mouthed, "Who is it?"

"Who is this?" I asked.

"It's Travis."

My heart skipped a beat, and I spun around, my back facing Tony. "Hey, Travis." A smile spread across my face.

"Hey. Um, Annie, can we talk?" he asked in an uncomfortable politeness that was unusual for him. It was as if he was talking to a stranger instead of his best friend.

"Uh..." I turned and gave Tony a pointed glance. He nodded, mouthing, "I'll be in the shop," before turning and leaving. I turned back around, sliding one hand into my back pocket. "Yeah. Yeah, we can talk."

"So, um..." It was quiet for a moment, and I felt my heart sink to the ground. Travis was _never_quiet. He hated silences, so he always talked to fill them up. Something must be horribly wrong.

"Travis? Travis, what's wrong? Is everything okay? Did something happen? Is it- Is it my family?" I questioned, holding my breath.

"Naw, they're fine. This is more of a... you and me kind of problem."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well then.. What is it?"

Another pause. "What's going on with you and the Stark dude?" he blurted.

"Me and Tony? You think..." I started laughing. The idea was completely insane and hilarious.

"Anna, I'm being serious," Travis said, and I could see him frowning. It was a really cute image.

"So am I," I responded. "There's nothing going on with us."

"Really?" Travis snapped. "So you two didn't go on a date tonight?"

"What?" I breathed. "Travis, how did you know?!"

"So you did."

"Travis! How did you find out?!" I demanded.

"There are pictures! On Facebook."

"Travis, I swear, it wasn't a date. It was supposed to be me, him, plus two other girls, but the others had to bail. It was just dinner," I explained.

"Yeah, well, um. I'm not exactly sure I believe you."

It felt like a slap in the face. Stunned, I didn't say anything, just staring at the wall.

"Listen, Anna. I love you, I really do, it's just- You're somewhere that you can't tell, with people who nobody knows..."

My eyes started burning as I felt that pricking sensation in the corners that normally meant tears were coming. But, I knew for me, none would come. "Travis, please," I begged.

"No. You don't know when you're coming home or even _if_you're coming home. I think it's- It might be better if we just saw other people."

My breath hitched in my throat, and I looked at my feet, blinking rapidly. "Travis, seriously, this isn't funny. Is this a joke?"

"No," came the solemn response.

"No, Travis-" A sob cut me off, and I bit my lip, trying to calm myself down. "Travis, _please_. I need you. You're my best friend, you can't just-"

"I love you, AnnaMarie."

The phone clicked, and all I could hear was the dial tone. I stood there, just listening to it, hoping his voice would come back, laughing and saying he was kidding. I waited longer; the noise slowly setting me on edge.

Finally, reality sunk in, and I shrieked in frustration, chunking the phone at the wall, the breaking sound giving me slight satisfaction. Just for good measure, I grounded my heel onto the broken remains.

"Annie? Is there a reason you're smashing my phone into oblivion?"

I spun around to see a very snarky Tony Stark, smirking very good-naturedly. I glared at him, my chest heaving. His smirk fell, and he took a step towards me. "Are you crying?" he asked softly.

I laughed humorlessly. "I can't cry. Another sideffect of my 'condition'," I stated.

"Well then are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but a strangled sob escaped instead. Tony held out his arms, and I rushed into them, unable to help myself. I sobbed into his shoulder, clutching onto him.

Travis was more than my boyfriend- he's my best friend. Well, was. Us being together was the last strand connecting me to my family in Alabama. Now that that's snapped, I was truly alone. Without family, without friends. I had no one.

"What happened?" Tony muttered into my hair.

"Travis broke up with me," I hiccupped, inwardly cursing myself. I sounded like some high-school girl. I heard Tony sigh, and I pulled away from him angrily.

"No- I don't mean- I'm not a little girl- GOD!" I stomped my foot, running my hand through my hair. "I'm not, some kid, who is heartbroken because the 'love of her life' just dumped her," I explained carefully. "It's more than that, Tony, he's my best friend. Was. He was my best friend-"

"Hey, I get it. You can be sad because your boyfriend broke up with you. I'm not judging." He held his hands up to his chest, palms facing me, and smiled slightly. "Okay, maybe a little," he admitted, and I couldn't help but let a little smile slip.

"There ya go," he encouraged, pushing my hair back behind my ears. He tilted my chin up with his fingers, our eyes making contact. "Annie. I'm here for you, okay?"

I nodded, and he pulled me in again.

* * *

**Tony's POV**

Ugh, did you really just say that? Hey Annie, I'm here for you. Way to go, genius.

I rubbed her head and her back, burying my face in her hair.

And suddenly... I hated Travis. He had hurt my Annie. Wait, hold on. _Your _Annie? She wasn't a dog, idiot.

It was just... Annie had been like a bird with a broken wing when we had gotten her. She was hurting (emotionally and physically), and yet, she put on such a show about not being hurt. She refused to show any sign of weakness. Well, whenever she was thinking clearly. Where was I? Oh yeah, the bird. She had needed protection, and I had more-or-less fulfilled that position. So I felt like she was mine, as absurd as that was.

"Come on, I'll take you to your room," I said, wrapping an arm around her waist. I led her down the hall, all the while she was trying her hardest to stop sniffling.

It wasn't really working.

"Well, this has been a horrible end to our first date," I joked as we stopped in front of her door.

By the way she winced ever so slightly, I guessed I had hit a nerve.

"Kidding, kidding," I clarified. She nodded, looking at the ground.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked.

She looked back up to me, her gold eyes glowing faintly. "I'll be fine." A ghost of a forced smile flickered across her face. "Thanks, Tony. For everything." She turned like she was about to open the door, but turned back around at the last second, standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. She looked like she was about to say something else, but went into her room instead, shutting the door quickly behind her.

A little shocked, I made my way down to my room. I shrugged out of my shirt, collapsing on my bed.

I wasn't the least bit tired, so I just stared at the ceiling as the minutes ticked by, trying not to think. About her, about anything… about the kiss.

To be perfectly honest, I kind of enjoyed the feeling of it. Of her lips pressed against my cheek- What? Stop it! That's weird.

Guilt started creeping up on me. It was the most unnatural and unpleasant feeling, and I hated it. What did I have to feel guilty about? I took Annie out to a nice restaurant, gave her a reason to dress up, made her laugh a lot, walked her to her door... And that's where it was. I should've gone inside, just to be with her. She didn't need to be alone. She needed someone to curl up beside. I could imagine her warm body pressed against mine-

I pushed the thought aside. That was just weird. Instead, I started thinking just about Annie.

It was so easy to talk to her. She seemed so genuinely happy about my presence; it was a little puzzling. I was annoying, immature, etc. (According to other people, of course. I found nothing wrong with my behavior.) Yet, she didn't seem to care about any of that. She enjoyed it. At least, that's the vibe I had gotten. And, come on, since when has Tony Stark been wrong, especially about women?

Amazingly, this girl who had appeared out of nowhere had morphed into my closest friend in absolutely no time at all. And I found himself craving her presence. She kept the loneliness away with her quirky smiles and horrible jokes. Let's not even mention the shameless flirting.

I found myself chuckling and knew I couldn't just sit here. I sighed, standing up and leaving my room. I looked down the hall, surprised to see a form coming towards me. It looked like a girl with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. As she got closer, I realized it was Annie. She looked clueless and slightly worried.

"You lost, darling?" I called, her head snapping up to see me. She nodded, striding over to me.

"I'm horrible, with directions, and with... not getting lost," she explained, stopping in front of me with a breathless smile.

I chuckled. "You'd think you'd know your way around by now. What are you doing, anyways?"

She blushed. "I was trying to find the kitchen."

I couldn't help but laugh. The kitchen was in the complete opposite direction.

"Don't laugh at me," she growled light-heartedly, pushing my stomach.

"You get the midnight munchies?" I teased, poking her belly.

"No. I had a nightmare." Her smile fell, and she shrugged, struggling to smile again. God, it must've been bad if she couldn't even pretend to be happy. "So I had to do something to distract myself."

"Well, my friend, you are in luck. Casa del Stark is officially open and ready for business." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, leading her towards my room. "And, even better, you can room with the manager!"

"It won't be weird... or anything?" she asked tentatively, biting her lip, which was something she did when she was nervous. Just a simple observation. Not that I observed her or anything-

I shook my head, opening my door. "Absolutely not. You can sleep in peace knowing the noble and mighty Ironman is laying at your side." I gave a frivolous, ridiculous bow, shutting the door behind us. My bow served its purpose as she giggled and glanced down at her feet.

"Okay," she relented, walking over to my bed. "Do you have a side?"

"Nope," I answered, pulling down the quilt and getting underneath the blankets. Annie laid down on the furthest side of the bed, turning her back to me.

I wanted to say something snarky, but I figured it would just make her feel upset. I'm sure she didn't want to cuddle with someone right after her break up.

* * *

A blood-curdling scream ripped me out of my sleep. My eyes snapped open, flipping over to see Annie sitting up, hands clamped over her ears.

I sat up abruptly, glancing around for the axe murderer wielding a hockey mask and chainsaw. Unable to find anything odd, I looked back at Annie. She was crouched down, her eyes clenched shut.

Two and two finally clicked in my head, and I realized she had had a nightmare. "Annie? Annie, it's okay." I wrapped my arms around her- God, she was shaking- and pulled her to my chest.

She tensed up, her wide butterscotch eyes fixating on my face. Fear and confusion muddled their glow.

"Hey, sh, you're okay," I comforted. She slightly relaxed, leaning her head against my chest. Her breathing was labored, and I stroked her hair. "Nightmare?" I asked when her trembling ceased.

She nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. "Thanks." She extracted herself, avoiding my eyes and moving to the other side of the bed.

"Ah, ah," I reprimanded immediately, grabbing her wrist. She looked back at me, her eyes wide. Um, what do you say now? Come cuddle with me? Maybe waggle your eyebrows?

I was about to just say forget it, when I looked back up at her eyes, stretched wide in fear. I sighed, laying down and pulling her over to me.

She didn't protest, instead pressing closer, burying her face in my side. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm. She put her hand on my chest, pulling back sharply when her fingers touched the cold metal of my arc-reactor. My other hand wrapped around hers, pulling her fingers back to rest on my bare chest next to the reactor. Her fingers were almost unnaturally warm, and I smiled a little. The warmth felt nice.

"You're hot," I stated, realizing her whole body was the same temperature.

"Thanks, babe," she teased, her breath tickling my side.

"Not like that." I rolled my eyes before realizing it could be taken offensively. "I mean, not to say you aren't hot! I'm just saying you're body is hot. Like your temperature! Not your-"

I stopped, cut off by her short giggle. I smiled a little too, even though inwardly I was yelling at myself. Could you be any less smooth? What happened to the ladies man Tony Stark?

"Are you still scared?" I asked.

There was a long pause. "No," she whispered.

"Good."

* * *

**Uh-oh, was that a protective Tony I saw/heard/read? :D**

**Hope this wasn't too dreadfully cheesy for you guys D; I, personally, found myself clapping my hands and squealing while writing this. Sooooo sweet.  
**

**And, YAY, no more Travis! Can I get a woot?! No... Oh, okay then...  
**

**Poor Annie, the dear's having nightmares. Luckily I know the solution to that (; hehe!  
**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing and especially for telling me I repeated chapters! If you guys hadn't told me, I probably would've never noticed! Please continue to review, they make my day(:  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**So guys, for once I don't have much to say... :O Shocker. I know.**

**Thank you everyone for your reviews/favorites/follows! I never suspected to get such a big response! Thank y'all (:  
**

**●Chapter Twelve●  
**

**Tony, Pepper, Natasha © Marvel  
**

**Annie, Travis © Me**

* * *

My eyes slowly fluttered open. I was pressed against Travis, and I smiled softly, snuggling even closer to his side. He was warm, and the mattress that conformed to my body made it near impossible to cling on to consciousness.

"Good morning, Tony, remember you have that-"

I sat abruptly upright, my head spinning a little as I took in the sight of a very shocked Pepper standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to intrude!" she exclaimed, covering her eyes with one hand as she started to shut the door and leave.

Tony, _not_ Travis, sat up as well, leaning back against his elbows. "Wha-" he muttered groggily.

"No, Pepper, it's fine," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and pushing my hair back.

She paused, a slight blush fading from underneath her freckles as she turned back, surveying the situation. Was I imagining things, or did her eyes have a mischievous glint to them?

"What were you saying?" I whispered, sitting Indian-style with the quilt pulled across my thighs.

"Tony has a meeting at ten o'clock with the board of directors." Pepper inclined her head towards Tony, who groaned and fell back on the bed, eyes shut. "We need him up and ready in an hour."

"What time is it now?" I asked, swatting back a curl that kept creeping onto my face.

"It's seven forty-five," she responded. "We've got Chick Fil A for breakfast."

I literally fell out of the bed. I had stood up too fast, my ankle getting tangled with the blankets in the process, and I did a face-plant on the floor. I could hear Tony guffawing, and even sweet, caring Pepper was giggling before she shut the door.

"Shut up," I grumbled. I couldn't help that the words 'Chick Fil A' sounded very much like heaven to me. I slowly stood, picking up a pillow and smacking Tony with it. "Shut up!" I protested, unable to help but start laughing myself.

"That was great," he said, wiping away imaginary tears from laughing.

"You're evil. Now get up and get ready! I want Chick Fil A, and I can't leave until you get ready." I put my hands on my hips, giving him a very stern glance.

"And what if I moved really slow…" Tony moved his limbs like he was in water, only moving about an inch at a minute.

I picked up the pillow and resumed hitting him with it until he gave up. "Fine, fine! Uncle! I'll get up!" He jumped up and out of my reach, glaring at me. I smirked and blew him a kiss, winking as I turned and examined his room.

"Good Lord, it's cold in here," I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself. According to my _condition_, anything under ninety degrees was considered freezing to my body. It did not help that I was dressed in a tight t-shirt and short-shorts.

I stepped over to the dresser Tony was currently pawing through. I stood obnoxiously close, peering over his shoulder at the disheveled mess of button-up shirts.

"You're breathing on my neck~" Tony sang in an annoyed tone.

"I know~" I repeated, using the same tone.

His hands stilled, and, afraid he was going to hit/tickle/poke me, I quickly moved to the opposite side of his room, opening his closet. I hummed, examining all the clothes hanging up. I started opening drawers of the neat dresser tucked into his closet.

"Wha- What are you doing?!" Tony demanded from the other dresser.

"Nothing," I answered innocently, shooting him the sweetest smile I could muster before turning back to the dresser. I opened one drawer, and instantly blanched. Underwear drawer. I slammed it back shut, quickly yanking open the one underneath it.

Bingo.

"Get out of my closet!" he instructed.

Ignoring him, I picked up a very comfortable-looking sweatshirt. I held it up against my body, happy to see that it was very big but would fit. I turned, still holding it. "Can I wear this?"

"No!" he snapped, glaring.

"Thanks, Ton!" I chirped, slipping the hoodie over my head. It fell to my knees, and the sleeves went well past my hands. I smiled. If there was one thing I loved more than Chick Fil A and four-wheelers, it would be oversized sweatshirts.

And shotguns. I love shotguns.

He stared at me for a second, before he shook his head and muttered something. "What was that?" I chimed happily, giving him a sickeningly big grin that had a very clear dark undertone hidden underneath. I grabbed the collar of the hoodie, pulling it up to my nose and taking a deep whiff. I discovered happily that it smelled like Tony.

"Oh, nothing, dear," he answered, pulling out a white shirt. I dropped the collar as he walked around me, pulling out a sky blue blazer.

"I thought so," I responded matter-of-factly. "Don't wear that one. It'll make the people think you're fun-loving and nothing but trouble. Wear something dark, especially gray. That'll make 'em think you're very serious."

He turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you know about business attire?"

I shrugged, leaping up on the bed. "My daddy told me." I started jumping around, spinning. I laughed happily. His bed was perfect for jumping.

"Stop that! What are you- three?" Tony snarked.

I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest and bouncing down on my butt at the end of the bed. "Now you sound like my dad," I grumbled.

"Good," he sneered, replacing the blue blazer and pulling out a navy-colored one. I smirked a little. _Haha, he's taking my advice! _I thought triumphantly.

He swiftly buttoned up the white shirt, slipping the blazer over. He buttoned it up, grabbing a purple and black striped tie. He wrapped it around his neck, tying it a little before looking expectantly at me.

I raised my eyebrows. "Sorry, I thought I was three," I reminded sourly.

He scoffed. "I was kidding, Annie. Please," he added, giving me puppy-dog eyes and sticking out his lower lip.

I huffed, standing and rolling my eyes. "Puppy dog eyes don't work on me," I informed him, even though he had looked super cute and they had totally worked on me. I grabbed his tie, untying it and re-doing it.

"Hm. Had me fooled," he teased, looking down at me.

I ignored him, avoiding his gaze and unable to stop the slight blush on my cheeks. Hopefully my dark tan hid the pink color. I pushed the tie up to his neck, reaching around and flipping down his collar. I risked glancing up at him. By the smirk, I guessed he had seen the blush, which only made me blush harder.

"What? Tell me I'm not the first superhero you've helped with his tie," he joked, and I giggled.

"Nope. Surprisingly, you _are_ the first," I said back, smirking as well.

His eyes widened. "Really?! So I must have special status or something, right?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Wow, the infamous Tony Stark fishing for compliments from a nobody girl from Alabama." I raised my eyebrows. "She must be really amazing or something." I winked.

"Oh, she is," he responded honestly, the smirk and teasing look wiped from his face.

My gaze snapped back up to him, my eyes meeting his serious brown ones. I suddenly realized how close we were, and the fact that I still had my hands resting on either side of his neck.

My stomach churned, and my heart gave a tight squeeze. I coughed uncomfortably, stepping back sharply. I bit my lip, shaking my hair behind my shoulders. "Um, we should probably go eat… Before the food gets cold."

I peeked up at him through my eyelashes. Did his expression look… pained? Whatever glimpse of emotion I maybe saw was quickly replaced with his regular smirk. "Of course." He turned and led the way to the door, and I tucked my hair behind my ear, gently slapping my cheek.

I couldn't get over the fact that he had actually said that. He thought I was amazing. I felt my face flush, and I looked down at the ground to hide my smile. And that feeling I had gotten afterwards… That was the feeling I got whenever Travis used to kiss me. The butterflies in my stomach…

Did I like Tony? Surely not… Like I said, I was just a nobody girl from Alabama. But, apparently, that was amazing to him. _No, you do not like Tony, _I told myself firmly. It was wrong to like somebody so soon after my past relationship ended. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet. Plus, Tony definitely didn't like me. He was _Tony Stark. _Ironman. Hello! He could get any girl he wanted, anytime he wanted. If he liked me in that way, he would've already made the fact known. That was just the way Tony was.

"Hey, Ton," I called, suddenly realizing something.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around in the doorway.

I raised my eyebrows, pointing to his baggy gray sweatpants. "Are you planning on wearing those to your meeting?"

He looked back down at his pants before looking back up at me. He sighed, walking back into his closet. I smiled, waiting outside his room for him.

He came out a few seconds later, wearing a slick pair of navy-blue pants that matched his blazer. "How do I look?" he asked teasingly, smirking and popping his collar.

I rolled my eyes. "Very professional," I remarked. We walked side by side into the kitchen, interrupting Pepper and Nat's hushed conversation. They both swung their heads over to us, Nat's face quickly turning impassive, but Pepper blushed madly, looking very guilty.

Were they… talking about us?

All other thoughts were pushed out of my head as I saw the platter of chicken biscuits sitting on the kitchen table. The smell made me suddenly turn ravenous as I literally sprinted over to the table. I quickly sat down, stuffing one after the other in my mouth.

"Slow down; you'll kill yourself," Nat warned.

"Or eat them all," Tony added, swatting at my hand that was greedily reaching for another. I furrowed my brow, staring up at him in disbelief and swatting back at his hand. We both grabbed one, glaring daggers at each other.

I tried to keep as many as I could to myself, pushing almost half of what was left into the corner closest to me. Nat, who ate _maybe_ three, and Pepper were perfectly fine with the arrangement. Tony, on the other hand, insisted on stealing from my stash, even though half of the platter wasn't even being touched or guarded by anyone! It was annoying, to say the least.

I very soon ended up punching Tony in the stomach after the millionth warning. He glared furiously at me, and I just shrugged innocently.

I don't play when it comes to food.

Tony decided to leave my half alone, sharing the other half with Nat and Pepper. I grinned victoriously as I ate every last one, including a few from Tony's side. Eventually I was completely stuffed, and I leaned back in my chair, sighing.

"Pepper, have I ever told you how much I love you?" I asked, closing my eyes in contentment.

She just laughed, shooing me out of the kitchen. I walked over to the couch in the joined room, flopping down on the comfortable cushions.

"Alright, Tony, we should leave now," Pepper stated.

I opened my eyes, sitting up. "You're both going?"

Pepper nodded, and Tony arched an eyebrow, smirking. "Why, you jealous?" he teased.

"No!" I exclaimed defensively. "Just wondering."

"Mhmm." Tony wouldn't stop smirking, and I glared evilly at him as Pepper grabbed a briefcase.

She rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. "Come on, Tony." They exited, leaving Nat and me alone.

I laid back down, closing my eyes again. It was quiet for a little while, before I asked, "Do you know when they're coming back?"

"No," she responded, much closer than I expected.

I started, my eyes snapping open to see she was sitting in an armchair just across from me. She raised an eyebrow in question. "God, you move quietly," I muttered, relaxing and closing my eyes again.

"So… _were_ you jealous?" Nat asked.

I smirked, cracking an eye open. "Is the deadly assassin Natasha Romanoff trying to talk boys with me?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes.

"No, I wasn't jealous," I answered honestly, shutting my eye.

"Pepper told me you and Tony slept together," she admitted.

My eyes flew open, and I stared at her. "_That's _what you two were talking about when we walked in?!" She nodded. "Okay, yes, we did, but not in the way you're thinking of!" I sat up, leaning my back against the arm of the couch.

She stared at me, waiting for an explanation. I decided right then and there that Natasha Romanoff was not one for words. If she thought she could get away without saying something, she was not going to utter a sound.

I sighed. "I had a nightmare. I was trying to go to the kitchen, but I ran into Tony, who told me the kitchen was the other way. I told him I had a nightmare, so he offered for me to sleep with him. To keep away the nightmares. Strictly, just friends. No romance or romantic feelings involved." I waved my hands in front of me.

"Well did it work? Did he keep away the nightmares?"

I thought back, and a small smile dawned on my face. "Yeah. I guess he did."

"Do you like him?" Natasha asked, eyebrows raised.

I laughed humorlessly. "Uh- no. Definitely not." I settled into a more comfortable position, folding my arms across my stomach.

"Why do you say it like that?"

I hesitated for a moment. "My boyfriend broke up with me last night." That was all I needed to say. I knew she understood everything that that implied: I'm still hurting, I'm not ready to move on, I don't like him.

"I'm sorry," she said simply. I nodded as we slipped into a comfortable silence.

I liked Nat. She was nice enough, once you got to know her. She didn't talk when she didn't have to, and I felt that refreshing, especially compared to Pepper who was always so noticeably awkward during lulls in conversations. She wasn't afraid to say or ask things, even if they were out of line. And I appreciated that, considering I was the same way.

"I'm bored," I stated not long after we stopped talking. I looked over at Nat, whose eyebrows were raised suspiciously.

"What are you thinking?" she asked. I grinned mischeviously in answer.

And that's how we ended up playing Twister when Tony and Pepper finally walked in.

"What the hell…" Tony asked, staring at us in wide eyes.

I looked underneath my arm, which was reaching around Nat's midsection. "Hi Tony!" I chirped.

"Anna I can't reach the spin board," Nat complained. That didn't surprise me much, seeing as one arm was wrapped around my right leg and the other was underneath my chest. We both giggled.

"Let's just give up for right now," I said. She nodded in agreement (at least, I think she did. I saw red bobbing up and down in my periphal vision.)

We tried to move, but ended up in a tangled pile of limbs. We both started laughing as we slowly untangled ourselves. Nat stood up first, pulling me to my feet. Grinning widely, we turned to a shocked Tony and an amused Pepper.

"I'm… sorry, did you just laugh?" Tony questioned, pointing at Nat.

She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, we should watch the Notebook!" I exclaimed.

Nat looked at me with blank eyes. "I've never seen that before."

I gasped, eyes widening. "That should be a crime! Just go get ice cream before you shame yourself even more." She complied, striding into the kitchen.

"You two can join us if you want," I offered.

Pepper shook her head. "I'm exhausted." As if to prove her point, she yawned and left.

I turned pointedly to Tony, whose eyes widened. "Oh, no, I just remembered I have… _stuff _to do."

I grinned. "I'm sure you do." He turned and started walking down the hallway before I remembered something. "Tony!" I called, chasing after him. He turned around, eyebrows raised. I stopped in front of him, giving him a breathless smile. "Can I sleep with you again?" I asked.

"What? Couldn't get enough of me?" he teased, winking.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. You're just there to keep the nightmares away."

He held his hands up at his chest, walking backwards. "Fine, say whatever you want. I know the truth." He winked again before turning and walking away.

Two hours later, and I was so grateful I couldn't cry. Instead, I just sobbed quietly into my ice cream. _Why _did this movie have to be _so_ sad?! I scooped up another bite of the mint chocolate chip ice cream, straight from the bowl, angry that I didn't have a Noah in my life.

The movie ended, and I looked over at Nat. "That was… _awful_," she complained, looking traumatized.

I scoffed, my jaw dropping. "How could you?! I thought we were friends!"

"I'm sorry, but that was-"

"Don't even say it," I warned cutting her off. "You get to put the ice cream up." I thrust the ice cream into her hands, giving her a fake glare.

She took it, standing and walking over to the kitchen.

"Night, Nat!" I exclaimed, leaving the room.

"Night, Anna," I heard her response as I slowly found my way back to Tony's room. I didn't bother knocking, just entering the room.

"How was the chick flick?" Tony asked, looking up from his phone.

I jumped down beside him, quickly getting underneath the quilt. "Sad," I answered. He put the phone down, flicking the lamp off as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I buried my face against his side, putting my hand on his chest as we assumed the same position as last night.

"How much did Tasha hate it?" he asked.

I giggled. "She looked like she about to vomit."

He started laughing as well. "I knew she would."

"Yeah. Night, Ton," I muttered, feeling myself fall into the black abyss that was sleep.

"Night, Annie."

* * *

**So guys.  
**

**Annie has a bit of an obsession with Chick Fil A, oversized sweatshirts, and shotguns. Oh dear.  
**

**I'm sorry if I made Natasha a little OOC in this... But when Annie says 'we laugh'/ 'we giggle' etc, she really means _she_ laughed and Natasha chuckled slightly.  
**

**But, Natasha playing twister? I couldn't resist.  
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**She'd be BEAST.  
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**Tony thinks Annie's amazing... ASHFOUFASL. Too cute.  
**

**Reviews are loveeeeee~  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**So, guys... I guess I kinda died... I'm gonna offer a really feebly excuse even though half of you probably won't even buy it even though it's the truth. Here goes.**

**I went to Florida, and then I got swamped with summer work (I had to read two books, do 77 (!) vocab cards (AP sucks.) _and_ do a book report!) I'm only a sophomore... I'm kind of scared what's gonna happen when I get to college. And then school started, and I've been busy with all my classes and my tests and studying and trying to exercise and Heroes (anybody else watch that show?! Best show everrrrr.) that I haven't had time to do anything Dx  
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**Enjoy!  
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**●Chapter Thirteen●  
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**Annie © Me  
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**Everything Else © Marvel  
**

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The bed dipped, and my brow furrowed, turning over and patting around for Tony. "Tony…" I grumbled. I missed his body heat.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up," his voice came from up high, like he was standing, and from a little distance away, like he was near the wall.

"It's too earlyyyyy," I whined, grabbing the pillow and covering my face with it.

"It's eleven thirty, Annie," Tony stated.

I huffed, discarding the pillow and sitting up. I rubbed my eyes, pushing my hair back. I could smell something _very_ nice cooking, and I instantly perked.

"_Bacon!" _I exclaimed, jumping up and running out of the room.

"I have never seen a girl eat as much as you do," Tony informed, following me out into the kitchen and watching with a mildly freaked-out expression.

I rolled my eyes, snatching up another piece of the succulent food.

Tony shook his head as Pepper walked in, smirking a little. She handed Tony the newspaper, smiling at me. "Good morning, Anna. I'm happy to see _somebody _is enjoying the nice breakfast I made." She pointedly glared at Tony, who was too busy reading the paper to notice.

He slapped the paper down, making me jump a little, and slid it over to me. "Look who got the front page."

I looked down, only to see a picture of me in uniform, hands on fire. It was an awful picture with really cruddy quality, but I guess that was the best they could do. I raised an eyebrow, reading the bold black print: A New Superhero In Town?

I scanned the article, scowling as they talked about how I could just as easily be a menace rather than a hero. _Who knows? This masked menace could spell nothing but trouble for the Malibu area. Where's Ironman? Doesn't he have something to say to this wannabe?_

I scoffed. "I am _not_ a wannabe!" I shrieked, ripping the paper to shreds and thrusting it in the trashcan.

"Um, I wanted to read that…" Tony shut up when I glared at him, knowing I was not in the mood.

"I _helped_ that bank, and all they have to say is how I'm a _wannabe? _No! I'm pretty sure I'm exactly who I wanna be, and it ain't a wannabe!"

Tony started chuckling and even sweet, sympathetic Pepper had to bit her lip to prevent a laugh.

"This isn't funny!" I cried, resisting the urge to kick the wall.

"What's not funny?" Nat asked, entering the kitchen.

"Annie doesn't know how to take criticism," Tony said, still laughing.

"I _do_ know how to take criticism, there's just nothing to critique! I _helped_ those people, and this is how they repay me?! _Laughing _in my _face?!"_

Nat raised an eyebrow, and Pepper answered, "The newspaper said some negative things."

"Come on, Nat," I growled, stalking off to (where I believed) the training area was.

"Where are you going?" Tony called. I ignored him, continuing to stomp. I _would_ find the training area, and I _would_ beat the crap out of a bunch of punching bags, and then proceed to fight Natasha. I needed to blow off some steam.

"Anna, the training area is this way," Nat stated coolly, pointing to my left. I huffed, Tony still laughing. I flipped him off, shooting him a venomous smile before following Natasha.

Three and a half hours later, and I was so thankful my body couldn't produce sweat. I was panting, bent over with my hands on my knees. Nat was leaning against the side of the pen, not as visibly winded, but I could tell she was still pretty tired.

"Hey, ladies, I thought I should probably warn you that Pepper is coming down, and you might want to pretend like you're okay before she goes into mother hen mode."

I shared an exasperated look with Nat, refusing to turn around and acknowledge the annoying billionaire.

"Am I ever gonna get this back?" Tony asked, picking up the sweatshirt I had discarded soon after we started exercising. Now I was only wearing my sports bra and my short-shorts. I glared dangerously at him, snatching the shirt back. I threw it on, pulling the sleeves up to my elbows.

"Oh-kay, it's someone's time of the month," he muttered.

"God, _save it_ Stark," Nat warned.

I growled, turning on Tony. "You might want to shut up." I was _not _in the mood. He laughed at me, refusing to take my side with the newspaper thing, and now he had the guts to come down here and say _that_. He was treading dangerous waters.

He held his hands up to his chest, eyebrows raised. "Down, boy," he said, like he was talking to a dog. "Just kidding."

"Really? 'Cause I don't think you were," I snapped. I could feel myself getting extremely angry, and that was a dangerous place to be, not only for Tony, but also for everyone else unlucky enough to be in a mile radius.

"What got your panties in a knot?" he asked.

"You did!" I shouted, feeling my blood coil and heat up. This was not good, I realized with a squirm of fear. But the anger quickly took over that.

"Anna, your hair is smoking…" Nat pointed out, eyes wide.

"No _shit, _Sherlock!" I exclaimed, turning on her. I opened my mouth to start yelling profanities, but Pepper cut me off.

"Anna, what's wrong?" she questioned, entering the room.

Okay, she was _human. _She couldn't fight me if I got angry. _Get a grip! _I told myself. Chest heaving, I tried to fight the anger. I prayed silently that Tony wouldn't say another word, because if he did…

"Apparently, she's on her period."

I yelled out in rage, turning on the nearest punching bag. My whole arm caught on fire, instead of my usual hand, and I slammed my fist into the bag, sending it flying across the room. I kicked the side of the training pen, managing to open a huge hole in the side of it. I ripped my leg out, feeling splinters of wood scrap against my bare skin. Blood trickled out of the scrapes, and I threw a fireball at an armchair, causing it to shoot up into flames.

"Anna…" Nat said slowly. I spun on her, feeling my eyes start to burn. "You need to calm down," she stated, like she was talking to a wounded animal. And everyone knew wounded animals were the most dangerous.

"I know you're angry," she soothed. "And I'm sorry about that. We said some things we didn't mean, okay? We're _very sorry."_

I bit my lip as hard as I could, trying to calm down. I shut my eyes, feeling my body trembling. I felt blood fill my mouth, and the pain it caused helped in distracting me.

"W- What do you want for lunch?" Pepper asked.

"I don't care," I spat, pressing my hands flat against my temples. I sat down on the floor, jaw clenched tightly.

_Come on Anna, _think! _You can get out of this! You don't need to hurt Tony or Pepper or Nat. You know you would kill Pepper, and Tony would die as well without his suit to protect him. Nat was a 50/50 guess. She was strong, yes. She was fast, too. She could get away eventually. She'd probably get a few injuries along the way, but nothing too serious._

I realized someone was calling my name. My eyes slowly opened, and I looked up to see Nat talking to me. I pulled my hands away from my ears, tuning into what she was saying.

"Anna, you might want to put out the fire before it burns the house down," she said in the same slow tone.

I stood up, wiping the blood that had trickled down my chin. Triumphantly, I realized I had beaten back the rage. I grinned, glancing up at Nat, who immediately tensed, mistaking my grin for something else.

"No, Nat, I'm okay," I explained in a perfectly level tone. I turned and patted out the fire with my hands. I walked over and grabbed the punching bag, trying to pick it up, but it was too heavy. I grunted with effort as I dragged it over to where it was before.

I looked back over to them. Nat looked uneasy, Pepper looked terrified, and Tony looked a mix of fear and… pain. Like I had betrayed him.

I suddenly realized that was _exactly_ what happened. He trusted me, trusted me enough to get me mad, and I had betrayed him. I had abused his trust.

With that, I sprinted past them as fast as I could. I ran around the house, trying frantically to find an exit. When I finally did, I dashed down to the beach, stopping right in front of the water.

How could you be _so_ stupid?! He was going to kick you out now, for sure! No doubt about it! You weren't even completely angry! If he had seen you lose control…

"Idiot!" I yelled at the ocean. I wanted to hit something, but I knew that wouldn't help with anything. So I just sat down, pulling my arms out of the sleeves of Tony's sweatshirt, folding them across my chest.

I focused on taking deep breaths. Look on the bright side, Annie. He hadn't seen you snap. The worst that happened was your hair started smoking. You didn't kill anybody, not like last time…

I shook my head furiously, refusing to think about it. I dug my toes in the sand, sighing as a breeze ruffled my dark brown curls.

I heard someone walking towards me from behind. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. "If you're gonna kick me out, I won't be mad," I stated.

"I'm not going to kick you out," Tony responded, sounding a little surprised. "Why would you think that?"

"I trashed your training area, and I wasn't even mad…" I trailed off, drawing patterns in the sand.

Tony sat down beside me, eyebrows raised. "You had me fooled."

I glanced up at him. "I was mad, but I wasn't… _mad._"

We made eye contact for half a second, but I looked away as quickly as I could. I wrapped my arm back around my legs, staring off at the ocean. I couldn't look at him; I was too ashamed.

"Okay. Humor me. What happens when you get _mad?"_ he asked.

I sighed, leaning my forehead against my knees. I closed my eyes, struggling not to think about _that_ night.

_It was dark. I was furious; someone had tried to prank me with a bucket of water over my dorm room door on campus. Luckily, I had jumped out of the way fast enough before I got drenched. Drops of water had singed me, causing me to hiss loudly in pain._

_I heard a bunch of guys laughing obnoxiously, so I went after them, so angry I thought I would kill somebody. They started to run away, spreading out on the stretch of campus that had trees and benches spread out across it._

_Something hit my head, and I spun around. I heard chuckling that would've been inaudible to human ears, but I wasn't human. I saw a pinecone laying at my feet, and I looked up at the boy in the tree who was dying of laughter._

_And then I went blank._

_When I woke up, I was standing over four guys. There was blood everywhere, and I looked around in confusion. I fell on my knees, trying to shake the nearest one awake. I suddenly realized with a shock that each of the boys shared burn marks._

_Absolute horror descended on me as I realized that _I _had done this. I had killed four innocent people, who had families and had a whole life in front of them. Even worse, I knew the four guys. They were friends._

_It was an innocent prank. They didn't know about my powers; they didn't know that that large amount of water might've killed me. Certainly put me in agony for who knows how long._

_I had snapped and lost control. And I had killed these boys._

_I ran back to my dorm room, ripping the bloodied clothes off. As I started destroying evidence and washing the blood off my body, my memory slowly returned._

_It was like somebody else had taken over my body. I could see out of the corner of my eyes that my hair was on fire. It had literally _turned _into flames. From my fingertips to my shoulders, my arms were on fire. Then I remember slamming into the tree. It took a few tries, but eventually I knocked the tree over. I pummeled the poor boy until he was nothing but ash._

_And I had enjoyed it._

I shuddered, pulling myself out of the memory. "I lose control," I croaked, my voice breaking. I was trembling now, and I wrapped my arms tighter around my body, trying to keep myself together.

"We all loose control when we get mad, what makes you special?" Tony teased gently, trying to lighten the mood.

"I kill people!" I confessed, burying my face in my hands. "I- I lose control, and I _kill _people."

"Annie…"

"I _killed_ them Tony! They were just kids; they were just messing around! I didn't mean to, I lost control! I blacked out, and they were _dead! _I had to meet their parents. I had to act like I was nothing more than a sad student, Tony!"

"Shh," Tony comforted, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. I realized I was crying, and I clung onto his shirt, my eyes firmly shut.

"Four people," I whispered hoarsely. "I would've killed you, too."

"No you wouldn't have. We trust you, Annie. Well, maybe not Natasha, but she doesn't trust anybody."

That only made it worst. They trust me, and I would've killed them. "No, I would've! I lose control; I become this other person, Tony. My hair catches on fire, and so do my arms, and- and- and- I _black out. _I don't _stop _Tony! I get so much stronger and faster, and I _can't stop."_

"Hey. You don't know that. You stopped today," he reminded me.

"I was just mad; I didn't snap," I said quietly.

We were quiet for a moment, just sitting and staring out at the wide expanse of water. From now on, I could count on things being awkward. Tony always walking on eggshells to be careful not to piss me off. We would never be the same again.

"What are you torturing yourself about now?" Tony asked, exasperated.

"We aren't… Are you… It won't…" I sighed, and closed my eyes, letting the words rush out before I could stop them. "Are things going to be weird now? I mean, are you going to be careful not to make me mad?"

He snorted. "Annie, you give yourself too much credit." My eyes snapped open, and I stared up at him with wide eyes. "You honestly think I'm going to be _scared_ of you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a scary person," I mumbled, returning my head to its previous position, my pride wounded. I said that, but I was honestly so relieved. I was so happy that Tony wasn't going to act weird. I don't think I could take it if he did.

"Fine. How about we make a deal? I promise, I will bring you back if you ever lose control, okay? I'll be there, and I'll help you, okay?" he whispered against my head, his lips tickling my hair. "And you have to promise you won't blame yourself if you ever do. Deal?"

I was quiet for a moment, thinking about it. He couldn't possibly know how to bring me out of my rage; I don't even know how. But I trusted Tony more than anyone else, so I sighed, relaxing against his body.

"Deal," I promised.

He kissed my head, and we sat there for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

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**Gahhhh sooo cute. I luff themmmm.  
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**I got my permit Friday. WATCH OUT WORLD I'M STREET LEGAL.**

**I'm so weird... Oh well. (:  
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**Okay, if some of you were confused, I'm sorry. Annie doesn't do a good job at describing things. ): Annie's strength is centered around her anger, that's why she could so effortlessly toss the punching bag, but could hardly drag it after she had her meltdown. The madder she gets, the stronger she gets. And also, she has a _super_ short temper, so while it may seem unrealistic for someone to get mad over such trivial things, Annie would.  
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**She needs to talk to somebody about that. Tsk, tsk.  
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**Hahahah! And I'm sorry for the 's' word I dropped... I hate cussing, and I hate reading stories with excessive profanity. But I'm a biggy on characters' personalities, and Annie has a bit of a potty mouth. Sigh. I'm so disappointed it her.  
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**Read/Review/Favorite/Follow and I'll love you forreeevvverrrrr. Bye guys! (:  
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	14. Chapter 14

**Yes, you get two chapters today. Consider it my apology for dying /:  
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**But guys... This is my favorite chapter that I've ever written. I'm so proud of this chapter, and I hope y'all will enjoy it at least half as much as I do.(:  
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******P.S. When Annie gets down to the training pen with Pepper, Tony, and the contracter, turn on everybody's best friend Youtube and go listen to Wide Awake by Katy Perry. It came on Pandora while I was writing it, and it was the first time I'd ever heard it, and I _spazzed _because it fit so well *proceeds to squeal and clap hands together like an idiot* SO GO DO IT EVEN IF YOU HATE ME AND HATE THIS STORY.  
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******Please. (:  
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******●Chapter Fourteen●  
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******Annie © Me  
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******Everything Else © Marvel**

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After a lot of convincing on Tony's part, I eventually let him lead me back inside. Nat was sitting in the kitchen, phone pressed against her ear, muttering rapidly. She saw me and quickly ended the call, staring at me warily.

My stomach twisted, knowing that she had been talking about me, and the look on her face was complete distrust of me. I had lost what little trust she had previously put in me.

Tony's arm tightened around my waist, pulling me a little closer to him. "I'm… _really_ sorry, Natasha," I apologized, staring her down. "My temper got away from me, and I know you probably won't ever want to be alone in a room with me again, and I-" My voice caught in my throat, and I quickly swallowed, allowing my face to turn into a cold mask. "I'm sorry," I finished strongly, refusing to allow her to see any other morsel of pain in my expression.

"It's fine," she said, her expression carefully guarded.

Tony steered me away, down towards the training room. "She hates me," I stated, staring glumly down at the ground.

"Stop that," he snapped, smacking my stomach. I looked up at him, incredulous. "Stop pouting, and get over it. Oh, and, by the way, she hates everybody."

I opened my mouth to protest, but just resorted to scowling. It was just Tony's twisted way of trying to get me to feel better. I huffed as he pulled me closer again, almost making me trip. "Easy there, buddy," I muttered, patting his stomach before sticking my hands in my pockets.

We came out into the training area, where Pepper was currently talking to some kind of contractor. She was scribbling something down on a clipboard, glancing over at us. She gave me a sheepish smile, which I returned. She said something hurriedly to the man before teetering over to us on her dangerously high heels- how she managed to walk in those was a mystery to me.

"I'm really sorry, Pepper," I said. "I didn't mean to get so mad. _Somebody_ doesn't know when to stop talking." I glared teasingly up at Tony before grinning and pinching his nose. "Just kidding, don't look so serious. But seriously," I turned back to Pepper, "I am _really sorry."_

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. We all know how clueless he gets," she added, holding a hand next to her mouth to keep Tony from seeing, but saying it loud enough for him to hear anyways.

I smiled at her, ignoring Tony's protest, before the contractor called her back over, pointing at the training pen. "Did you stick a bulldozer on fire in here or something? I don't even wanna _know_ what caused that," he stated, eyebrows raised.

I flushed as Tony laughed. I scratched the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact with everyone and coughed uncomfortably. "I think we should go," I pleaded quietly to Tony, who kept chuckling.

"Come on, lighten up. You know it was funny," he persuaded, turning and leading me up the stairs.

I shook my head. "More like extremely awkward," I muttered.

"Okay, you know what? We're going to do something fun. Come on." Instantly nervous, I hesitated. He rolled his eyes, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. I followed, huffing and pouting as he pulled me into his garage.

He released me, walking over to his set of computers. I folded my arms under my chest. "What are we doing here?" I asked with a sigh.

He pressed a few buttons, sliding screens and all kinds of other technological what not. A light above one of his Ironman suits lit up as the suit took a step forward. He walked over to it. "We, my dear friend," he stated, stepping into the suit. I watched, fascinated, as the various pieces of metal formed over his body. The mask snapped down, covering his face, the blue eyes lighting up. I laughed in amazement. This was _too_ cool. Out of nowhere, my friend Tony Stark had turned into one of the few superheroes the world has to claim. "Are going for a flight."

Before I could process the words, he had flown over, picked me up like I weighed no more than a rag doll, and blasted up through the garage. We burst out of the building, shooting straight up into the sky like a rocket.

I screamed as loud as I could, my hair whipping around and smacking my face. I buried my face in Ironman's chest, gripping on as tightly as I could. I had left my stomach back on the ground, and my adrenaline started pumping.

Tony was laughing, and I convinced myself to open my eyes. His arms were like steel around me and, sure I wasn't about to fall, I tilted my head back, looking up at the sky. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was close, so I could see a couple stars. The clouds were dyed pink, blue, yellow, and orange.

I felt like I could reach out and touch them which, considering the height we were at, I could. I laughed in amazement, looking around at everything. This was _incredible._

"Tony, this is amazing!" I shouted so he could hear me over the whistle of the wind.

"I know!" he responded, his voice deeper and much more mechanical through the suit.

"Why didn't we do this sooner?!" I asked, smacking his chest. He really should've taken me earlier.

He chuckled. "Hang on!" He started spinning in a fast circle before falling towards the ground like a bullet. Right before we crashed into a bunch of buildings, he shot back up, where he proceeded to start going into all kinds of loops, dips, and drops.

When he finished, I couldn't even scream anymore. My cheeks were aching from smiling so wide, and I just giggled. The sensation of flying was so exhilarating; it was a sense of weightlessness. All your problems just melted away, and you just focused on the wind in your hair and the feeling that you can take over the world.

We hovered over the rooftop of a skyscraper for a second before Tony gently dropped onto the flat roof. "You can let go now," Tony said.

My muscles were locked into place- my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. "I can't!" I exclaimed. Tony had to pry my limbs off of him, which resulted into me toppling over onto the ground.

We both laughed as he helped me to my feet. My legs were literally jelly, and I sagged against him. Eventually, he got me over to the edge, where I sat down, letting my legs swing over a crowded Malibu street.

"Quick, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Tony asked, his mask resting on top of his head.

"Uh- I- Strawberry!" I exclaimed. His mask snapped back into place, and he gave me a thumbs up before shooting off down into the street. I giggled a little, watching him shoot over cars like a little rocket.

He came back up sooner than I expected, holding two ice cream cones. I grinned hugely, accepting the pink one as he sat beside me. The mask moved back, allowing him to eat his chocolate cone. We bumped our cones together, both saying, "Cheers."

We ate, joking back and forth as we watched the sun slowly dip beneath the horizon of the ocean. As the sun slipped underneath, I couldn't help but exhale sharply in amazement.

"What?" Tony asked, bumping my shoulder with his.

"This is…" I couldn't think of anything to say- no words were able to describe how perfect this was. Sitting on a rooftop eating ice cream with my best friend the superhero, watching the sun set over the ocean. Three months ago, and I never would have dreamed of doing this.

Wait- best friend? I thought about it for a second and realized I meant it. Tony was my best friend. Without a doubt.

"I know," he sighed beside me, crunching the last bit of his cone. I still had quite a bit to go, but I didn't like the cone as much, so I just handed it over to him. He happily accepted, throwing the whole thing into his mouth. I watched in surprise as he struggled to eat it. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He started laughing too, finally swallowing it.

We both trailed off, watching as the sky slowly faded from a vibrant orange and pink to a dull slight orange and light blue.

"I'm sitting on a rooftop, eating _ice cream_ with _Ironman_ watching the sun set," I muttered, shaking my head in amazement. "This is _crazy._"

"What? Oh, come on, you don't honestly think you're the first girl I've done this with." He rolled his eyes, and my smile slipped off my face, my heart catching in my throat. He stared at me for a second before he chuckled. "Kidding! Totally kidding; you're the first." He poked my side, and I glared at him before smiling.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"Don't tell me you didn't think something along these lines would happen when you discovered your powers. Meeting other heroes, I mean," he clarified, waving his hand.

I shook my head. "No," I answered honestly. "Did you?"

"No," he replied. "But I'm happy it did," he added after a pause, a cute smile spreading across his face.

I nodded, smiling as well. "Me too. Is it weird that you're my best friend?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Well, it was either me or Natasha," Tony said, smirking. I rolled my eyes, scoffing as I playfully shoved his metal chest. After a moment, Tony stated, "You're my best friend too." He avoided my eye contact, staring out at the city. He was always so uncomfortable with confessing his feelings.

A grin danced across my face. "Good. I was getting a little worried there," I winked, but he didn't see it.

When the stars started to appear, we laid back, pointing out all kinds of shapes and constellations. At least, the ones that we could see. It was pretty polluted out in Malibu- practically the opposite of the clear Alabama sky. I'm not long we stayed out there before I drifted off to sleep, unable to keep my heavy eyelids open.

In my barely subconscious state, I felt Tony's strong arms wrap around me and heard the whizzing of technology as we flew off the rooftop and back to the house. I had to stand for a moment while his robots took off the suit, barely awake. When he was finally done, I held my arms out. He huffed, I smirked, and he carried me back to his room, where I fell into the peaceful bliss of sleep.

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**So tell me what you guys think! Is this anybody else's favorite or is just me being weird? Hahaha!  
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**GUYS. GUYS. GUYS. GUYS.  
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**AVENGERS2ISCOMINGOUTMAY1ST20 15. I'M SO EXCITED. I CAN'T BREATHE. I'M GONNA CRY. OR DIE. OR SOMETHING.  
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**Seriously.. EVEN BETTER Joss Whedon is directing it. AGAIN!  
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**ANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDAND ANNNNNDDDDD _THERE'S GOING TO BE A BLOODY FLIPPING TV SHOW._  
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**Okay I'm crying now. Sooooo excited. I'm so lame, but I don't even care. I'll be seventeen years old and still drooling over superheroes. I'LL TAKE IT.  
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**The _only_ bad part is that the movie comes out in 2015. If only it could come out a lot sooner than that... But oh well. I can wait that long.  
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**In the mean time, I'll have Captain America 2, Thor 2, Iron Man 3 to entertain myself. I'm not sure when the TV show comes out though /:**

**And guys.. I think I might cry but... There's only two chapters left for this story. *curls into a corner and cries* Seriously. I've never finished a fanfiction story before, so I'll probably be crying when I post it. This story is a really weird length because it originally was only supposed to be like ten or so chapters because it's just an introductory story of Tony and Annie's friendship before the main one with all the Avengers. But I got carried away and now it has sixteen chapters. Ohhhh wellllll. (:  
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**Bye everyone!  
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	15. Chapter 15

**Hiiiiii guysssss (:  
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**A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! Y'all made my tummy all fluttery (:  
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**AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW CHRIS EVANS STARRED IN FANTASTIC FOUR?! like seriously though... I should probably watch that movie now.  
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**Okay guys, serious now... This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope y'all are happy with this and don't, like, totally throw me off a cliff. I can't believe it's almost over. I'm in denial.  
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**●Chapter Fifteen●  
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**Tony, Pepper, Nat, Coulson © Marvel  
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** Annie © Me**

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When I woke up, Tony was gone. I sighed, heading over to my room and taking a quick shower. I changed into a t-shirt and jeans, seeing as how Pepper convinced me to reluctantly give up Tony's hoodie long enough to send it to the drycleaners.

I went to the empty kitchen, frowning when I realized there was nothing there for me to eat. I scanned the fridge, grabbing an apple before going over to the living room.

"Jarv, where's Tony?" I asked, taking a bite of the apple. Talking to the AI wasn't so odd now. I was getting used to it.

"Mr. Stark is currently in the shop," he responded formally.

I nodded, temporarily forgetting that he couldn't see me. "Thanks," I stated, bounding down the stairs. Loud, rock music was blaring, and I winced at the bottom, punching in the code. The glass screen slid open, and I stepped inside. I plugged my fingers into my ears as the volume increased.

"Tony?" I had to scream to be heard over the music. I still wasn't sure if anyone could hear my voice. "Tony!"

"Annie?" his head peeked up from the other side of a vintage-looking car with flame designs decorating the front and sides. A grin spread across his face as he spread out one arm. "Annie! Just the girl I needed. Jarvis cut the music."

The music instantly stopped, and I removed my fingers from my ears. "What are you doing?"

"Fixing her up! Or, trying to," he added with a frown. "You see, this is not a typical engine. I tried to do something new; I modified the typical…" he started to babble, using all kinds of fancy engineering words that I had no clue about.

"English, Tony," I interrupted once my head started to hurt, walking over to him.

"I could use a little heat-inspired kick starter," he simplified, giving me an innocent grin.

"You could've just said that," I told him, coming around to his side. He was holding some big thing to the side, revealing a very jumbled mess of black pipes and crap. How anyone knew how to fix this stuff was a miracle to me.

"I just need you to reach in there and light your hand up," he informed.

I nodded, pushing my arm in the small hole he had created. Surprisingly, there was enough room to push my arm in up halfway past my elbow. I raised my eyebrows, looking at Tony. "Just light it up? Nothing I have to press or-"

"Just light it up," he agreed, nodding once.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the heat rushing to my hand. Even though I couldn't see the fire, I knew my hand was currently consumed in flames.

"Okay, now hold this," he said, tilting his head towards the big black thing he was holding back. A little nervously, I put my hand over his, holding the thing (which was much heavier than it looked). Tony jumped up, sitting in the driver's seat. The car started vibrating, and I almost jerked my hand out.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked him, my eyes wide. The last thing I wanted was for my arm to get crushed in some weird, old car.

He scoffed at me. "Absolutely. Hold tight." I'm assuming he pressed the gas pedal, because the car gave off a nice roar, the engine revving. "Yes!" he cheered, punching the air. He turned the car off, jumping out.

Assuming it was safe, I removed my arm, staring at in dismay- it was covered in grease. I used my other hand and rubbed my forehead, taking a step back and standing next to Tony. He was silent, staring at the car with his mouth set in a grim line.

Wasn't he just happy about this? "Ton, are you okay?" I asked softly.

"This was my dad's car," he answered shortly.

I bit my lip, turning and examining the car. That would explain why it looked so old and vintage. "What happened to him?"

"Car accident." Tony turned, walking over to his computers. He picked up a rag and started roughly running it over his hands, removing them of the grease. "It killed my mom too."

I tried to imagine my mom and dad dying, but I couldn't. That was just too heartbreaking to even think about. "I'm sorry, Tony. Were you close to them?"

"My dad was an alcoholic. He was always irritated with me. It's amazing how quick irritation morphs into abuse." He stared at his hands for a moment, lost in some old memory. "No matter what I did, it was never enough to impress him."

He tossed me a towel, and I absently ran it over my arm. "He'd be proud of you now, you know," I told him. I sucked at consoling people. It was definitely not one of my strong suits.

Tony snorted humorlessly. "You didn't know him. He couldn't be proud of anything I did."

"Tony…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say. My daddy was proud of me all the time. I could count on at least that no matter what happened.

"Sir, Agent Coulson is waiting upstairs for you," Jarvis informed, cutting through the awkward silence. "He says it's about Miss Collins."

Tony gave me a fake smile, lips pressed together as he deposited his towel on the ground. "Duty calls. Let's go, fire-fists," he stated, walking around me.

I reached out and grabbed his arm, turning to face him. He looked down at my hand before looking up at me. His eyes looked glassy, and my heart broke a little.

"You know… You know that I'm proud of you, right?" I informed him gently. "I'm not good at this stuff, obviously... But- But someone would have to be an idiot to know you and not be proud." I gazed up at him, desperately hoping he wouldn't be crying.

He wasn't. He was just staring at me. I gave him a small smile, reaching up and gingerly patting his stubbly cheek. He suddenly pulled me into a hug so tight I thought he'd break my ribs. After a second of surprise, I hugged him back, stroking the back of his neck, my fingers brushing against his thick, black hair.

When he eventually pulled back, he stared at me. "You have grease on your forehead," he finally said, smiling softly in amusement as I crossed my eyes, trying to see the mark.

I grabbed a towel, rubbing furiously until Tony agreed it was gone. He held out his arm, and I put my hand in the crook of it. We walked up the stairs, coming out to see a man sitting on the couch next to Natasha, who was in her uniform.

My brow furrowed. Why was she wearing that? I hadn't seen her in her uniform since that first day.

"Stark," the man greeted, nodding and smiling at Tony. "AnnaMarie Collins?" he asked, turning to me.

I nodded apprehensively, hesitantly removing my hand from Tony's arm to shake the man's.

"Phil Coulson," he greeted. "I work with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"The same S.H.I.E.L.D. that Nat works for?" I questioned, crossing my arms defensively in front of my chest.

Phil nodded. "Also the same S.H.I.E.L.D. that sent Stark out to rescue you."

"I don't owe you guys anything," I made sure to inform him. "Tony helped me, not you guys."

"I wasn't implying anything. Please, sit." He gestured to a small, round ottoman that was originally supposed to be a footrest. I slowly sat down, shooting Nat a confused glance. Her impassive face gave nothing away.

"Agent Romanoff was sent here to keep tabs on you, and we have decided that you meet the requirements to join a secret operation called the Avengers."

"Wait, she's just as mean as I am," Tony cut in from beside me. "No offense," he added, catching my glare. "How is it she gets in while I don't?"

"You didn't get in?" I asked, a grin spreading across my face. I laughed. "I don't know what this is, but count me in! I'll take any chance to rub something in Tony's face!"

"Touching," he sneered.

"While Miss Collins definitely has a… _temper,_" Phil said carefully, obviously trying to not push my '_temper'_. I rolled my eyes. "She is much more applicable than you."

"I think he's trying to say I'm not self-obsessed," I pointed out, innocently batting my eyelashes at the billionaire.

"Yeah, I got that," Tony snapped.

"AnnaMarie-"

"Anna," I interrupted.

"Anna," Phil corrected. "We have a file waiting to debrief you on our plane."

My eyes widened. "Plane?" I repeated. "Where- Where are we going?"

"You're going to come with us," Nat stated.

I raised my eyebrows, sharing a surprised glance with Tony. "Sorry, but I think you've got your AnnaMarie's mixed up. I'm not going anywhere," I promised, cutting off Phil's response.

"I can always use force…" Nat trailed off.

Both Tony and I bristled at the threat. "Yeah…don't think so," Tony snapped, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet.

"Agent Romanoff," Phil warned quietly before turning to us. "Fine. We can debrief you here."

Two and a half hours later, my head was teeming with Avengers knowledge. There was nothing I didn't know. I knew _everything. _I thought my head was going to explode.

Nat and Phil stood up. Phil shook my hand one last time, saying a goodbye before striding out the door.

"You're leaving too?" I asked in surprise as I saw Nat start to head in his direction.

She nodded, and I pouted. "Really? Well, that sucks." Surprising her, I gave her a swift hug. "I'll see you soon," I promised.

She smiled softly, before giving Tony a terse nod. "Stark."

"Agent."

With that, Natasha Romanoff turned and walked out of Tony's house.

I sighed, turning to Tony. "She's not that bad once you get to know her."

"I beg to differ," Tony stated.

I rolled my eyes, smirking. We started heading back to the shop, when I paused mid-step.

Natasha was gone. So was S.H.I.E.L.D. They didn't have control of me anymore, Phil had told me that.

"_You're free to do whatever you want- stay here, return to your home. Whatever."_

Home. _My _home. To my family. I could go home. A huge grin split across my face, as the realization hit me like a bus.

_I could go home!_

Tony stopped a few steps away, turning and looking at me with a quizzical expression. "Annie… You okay?"

"I can go home!" I screeched, throwing myself at him. I latched my arms around his neck, and he stumbled a little, surprised at the sudden weight.

I released him, jumping up and down in excitement. "Home! I can go home!" I started dancing like mad in a circle.

"I didn't know you were that excited to go home," Tony teased, though his voice sounded off. It sounded fake, and, when I turned to investigate, I found his eyebrow was raised, and he was smirking, but his eyes weren't glinting happily like they normally do, and his jaw was tightly clenched.

"Oh, Tony, no-" I said, taking a deep breath. "I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," he stated.

I looked at him helplessly. There was nothing I could say. I _was_ excited to go home. I _was_ excited to leave. But I wasn't excited to leave _him. _"Tony…"

"I can have Pepper pack your stuff," he responded emotionlessly. He was pulling away from me. He was putting back up the walls he had just let down. Panic surged in me. He couldn't just _leave _me like that!

_But isn't that exactly what you're doing to him? _ a voice in my head whispered. I flinched, realizing it was true. "I didn't bring anything," I muttered.

"Right. Well. I'll be in the shop if you need anything." He turned on his heel and stomped down the stairs.

I groaned, collapsing on the couch. I buried my face in my hands, releasing an unsteady breath. This was not how I wanted this to go. I wanted to talk to my mom about it, but I wanted to surprise her when I showed up at her doorstep. I could talk to Nat… No. I didn't have her number, plus, she probably wouldn't care. She's not very fond of Tony or drama.

Eventually, I figured I would have to apologize. I managed to gather my courage, swallow my pride, and walk down the stairs. The music was blasting again, and Tony had his back to me, working on one of his suits' helmet.

"Jarvis, turn the music off, please," I stated quietly, not loud enough for Tony to hear. I was doubtful Jarvis would hear, but the room went silent, proving me wrong.

"Please don't turn off my music," Tony said, turning and shutting his mouth quickly when he saw it was me.

_Come on, Annie. Grow some balls. _"Tony, I'm sorry!" I blurted, stepping towards him. "I'm really, _really _sorry. I _am_ excited to go home, but I'm not excited to leave you. I wish you could come with me and stay with me, but that would be just weird, plus I'm pretty sure my daddy wouldn't like you very much, since you're a city boy and all, and my family's _really_ country and-"

"Your point," Tony interrupted my rambling, a small smirk on his face.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "I'm sorry. But this is my _family._ They need me. I have to keep them safe."

He sauntered in front of me. "And what if I told you _I_ needed you?" he asked innocently, peering down at me.

My eyes widened; my heart kicking into overdrive. I gave a small shake of my head. "It won't change anything." I gave him a sad smile. For once, I was desperately happy that I couldn't cry, because I was scared that I might.

He smirked a little. "You sure?"

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I nodded, unable to speak.

He leaned his forehead against mine, and I inhaled sharply, surprised. I could feel his breath against my cheeks, and my breath hitched in my throat. I looked up at him to see his eyes were closed. I closed my eyes as well, his hands running down from my elbow to grip mine.

"Now are you sure?" he whispered.

I opened my eyes to look straight into his warm, brown ones. I couldn't speak. I just stared at him. Was he going to kiss me? I wasn't sure, but I knew that if he did, I wouldn't pull away. My stomach was tying itself into knots, and a strange, fuzzy feeling was spreading through my chest.

"Sir, Miss Potts has returned from shopping," Jarvis informed loudly, making me jump and pull harshly away from Tony.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed sarcastically.

I turned my back towards him so he wouldn't see the effect he was having on me. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. I let out a shaky breath.

"We should probably tell Pepper that you're leaving," Tony said with finality.

I nodded, glancing over my shoulder as he came up beside me. I was a little too aware of the hand resting against the small of my back. I tried to contain a smile as we walked up to the living room.

Pepper smiled at us, dropping the few bags she had on the coffee table. She handed me a shirt on a hanger with clear plastic covering it. "Here you go! Nice and clean," she chirped happily.

I pulled the plastic off, realizing it was Tony's sweatshirt. A sad smile twisted on my lips as I gazed down at it. I was going to have to give it back.

"Annie's leaving," Tony stated bluntly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Pepper's smile fell as she looked at me with wide eyes. "What?" she breathed. "Really? I- I'm sorry to hear that. I really liked you."

"Thanks, Pepper," I muttered, unable to meet her gaze.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

I glanced up at Tony, thinking he'd answer for me, but he was looking at me just as expectantly. This was up to me. I got to decide how much time we had left. But I knew to prolong this would just be cruel, to me as well as to Tony. I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders as I looked Pepper in the eyes.

"Tomorrow."

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**It's just cruel that Annie has to leave.. WHY ANNIE?! D: Sometimes I seriously hate her. Lol jk I love her to death even though she's kinda OOC this chapter Dx  
**

**I got Hunger Games on Sunday.. That movie is so good! I don't really like Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss though... She's definitely a great actress, but she didn't really fit my image of Katniss ): Oh weeeellll.  
**

**Please continue to review! I love you guys. I really do. Bye!  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Epilogue**

I didn't get a lick of sleep last night. And, even though Tony denies it, I know he got at least a couple hour's worth from sleeping for small snatches of time. We talked all night long, about everything. About our separate episodes of captivity, what it did to us, the nightmares that we both were still scarred with.

We had taken Tony's private plane to Tuscaloosa. The ride was only about an hour long, and I had slept through the whole thing, my head resting on Tony's shoulder.

Now we were sitting silently in the cab we had taken. I pointed out landmarks whenever we passed by- my grandmother's house, where I used to take batting lessons, my favorite restaurant. But as we got closer, the knot in my stomach was getting tighter and tighter. I was so excited to see my family, but I was so nervous to leave Tony. He was my best friend.

The cab finally came to a stop in front of my house. I stepped out of the car, giving Tony some space to exit as well.

I stared at the little house with orange-colored bricks. The shutters were the same light blue as always, and the old oak tree was just as tall as I remembered. The swing hanging from the lowest branch creaked a little in the slight breeze. The grass was a little overgrown, and, in the yearly summer drought, the grass was yellowing on the edges.

"My mom's gonna cut the grass today," I told Tony, my voice shaky. My mom was extremely OCD; the grass, even though it was merely centimeters taller than usual, must be killing her.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

My hands were shaking, and I did the only thing I knew might help to make them stop- I grabbed Tony's hand. I clung onto it like it was dear life, and I gave a tiny nod. He tugged on my hand, pulling me up to the door. I couldn't bring myself to move, so Tony knocked on the door for me.

"Mom! Door!" Micah shouted from inside.

"I've got it, Micah!" she responded. "Wouldn't want you to ever feel the need to get up-" The door opened, revealing my mom. She was just as flustered as ever, her apron tied loosely around her plump body. She came up to my shoulder, so I had to look down to see her.

"Anna?" she breathed. I couldn't move or respond. A grin suddenly split across her face, tears rolling down her cheeks as she started screaming. She threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I clung onto her, my body racked with tearless sobs as I buried my face into her shoulder.

"My baby! My baby!" she kept saying over and over again.

"Sarah, are you okay?!" my dad thundered, coming into view behind my mom, shotgun in his hand. His eyes fell on me, and he dropped the gun. A hand went to cover his mouth. "Oh my God…" he muttered.

I pulled away from my mom. "Daddy!" I whispered, throwing myself at him. He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me so tight I couldn't breathe at all, but I didn't care. I clutched him as tightly as I could, sobbing.

"What's wrong?"

I looked up and saw Micah at the bottom of the stairs. He just stared at me, stunned into silence. I saw his eyes fill with tears, and my heart broke.

Dad released me, and I walked over to him.

"Annie?" he whispered. I nodded, grabbing his arm and pulling him to me. He buried his face in my shoulder, sobbing. I stroked his back, feeling awful that I had been the one to cause him this much pain.

"Don't leave," Micah begged quietly. "Don't leave again."

"Oh, Micah," I breathed. I pulled back, placing my hands on either side of his face. He reached up, wrapping his fingers around my wrists. I looked into his tear-stained eyes, and my voice broke. "Micah, I _swear_ I will _never_ leave you again. Okay?" He nodded, and we hugged again.

"Who are you?" Dad asked roughly.

Realizing I hadn't come alone, I released Micah. I turned to Tony, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. His eyes were wide, and I realized he was _totally_ out of his comfort zone. But that didn't keep him from softly asking if I was okay. I nodded, holding onto his arm as I turned to face my parents and Micah.

"Guys, this is-"

"Ironman," Micah stated, his jaw about to fall to his knees. "Y-You know… But… How… _Ironman," _he finally breathed, staring at Tony with complete awe.

I turned my head away from my family, stepping on my tiptoes as I leaned towards Tony's ear. "Micah," I whispered, only loud enough that Tony could hear.

I pulled back, watching a charming grin spread across Tony's face. "Micah," he greeted, reaching a hand out to the stunned teenager. "Annie's told me so much about you." Tony stepped back, and Micah nodded. He seemed to realize that he was a guy, and it was shameful for a guy to cry, because he started to furiously wipe at his cheeks.

"Mom, Dad, Tony Stark," I introduced, gesturing to the arrogant superhero beside me. Tony shook hands with my parents, muttering hi's and hello's, his brilliant smile never fading. "Tony, this is my momma and daddy."

"What are you doin' with my daughter?" Daddy asked bluntly, making me smile.

Tony paled a little. Obviously, he wasn't aware of how protective Southern daddies can get when it comes to their daughters.

"Tony's a superhero, Daddy. He saved me from them!" I didn't have to say who for them to know that 'they' were my kidnappers.

"Well," Daddy said gruffly, stroking his beard. "Seems like I'm in-debt ta ya. Thank ya, Mr. Stark."

Tony waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. My pleasure."

"Speaking o' which, Anna, we need ta talk 'bout them," Daddy told me.

"Daddy," I whined. "I just got home. Please? Save it for another day?" I asked, knowing I would never tell them. They could never know about my ordeal, or my powers.

Daddy huffed. "Fine." Something started beeping from the kitchen, and Mom jumped. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "We were jus' makin' dinner! Mr. Stark, you can join us if you'd like," she invited, heading towards the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get going," he returned.

My stomach dropped, and my gaze fell to the floor. I lightly squeezed Tony's arm, silently asking him to stay for a second, before biting my lip and giving my dad and Micah pointed glances. Dad nodded, getting the picture, and grabbed Micah by the scruff of his neck, pulling him through the living room and into the kitchen.

I dropped Tony's arm, taking a step back. I realized I was still wearing his sweatshirt. "Oh! You probably want this back." I started to take it off, but he stopped me.

"No. You keep it."

I glanced up at him, my arms in awkward positions. "You sure?"

He nodded, a slight smirk coming across his face. I dropped my arms, sliding them back into the sleeves. I crossed them in front of my chest, staring at my feet. I wasn't sure how to say goodbye. I wasn't very good at it.

"I-" Tony started, but he was cut off.

"_Anwieeee!" _the voice of a very familiar six-year-old screamed. I spun around to see Noah, all forty-seven pounds of him, barreling towards me. I easily scooped him up, his tiny arms wrapping around my neck. I buried my face in his neck, trying to stifle my sobs. God, I was crying again. I kissed his neck, nuzzling against his cheek.

He giggled, leaning back. "Anwie, I missed yew _sooo_ much!"

"Really?" I asked, eyes wide. "How much?"

He stretched his arms out as far as they would go. "This much!"

"Oh my goodness, that's so much! You wanna know how much I missed you?" I questioned, poking his stomach. He nodded, his blonde hair bobbing. "I missed you _this_ much!" I started covering his face and neck with kisses, bending over and leaning him backwards.

"Ewww! Stop! Cooties! Mommy, Anwie is _kissing_ me!" he shrieked, pushing my face away. I pulled back, standing upright again.

"Did you like your trip?" he asked happily.

I gave him a sad smile. He wouldn't know for a long time that his sister never went on a trip- that she was taken. "I loved it." My eyes flew past his shoulder to Tony, who was watching with a similar sad smile. "And guess what," I whispered to Noah, like I was about to tell him a secret.

"What?" he asked, excited.

I pointed at Tony. "That's Ironman."

The boy's brown eyes widened to saucers, and he gasped dramatically, clamping both hands over his mouth. He looked back and forth between me and Tony. "No," he breathed.

"Yes," I promised. "He's just not wearing his suit right now is all."

Noah started wiggling like he always does when he wants down. I complied, bending over and setting him on the ground. He instantly ran over to Tony, pulling on his pants leg. "Are yew Iwonman?" he asked.

Tony smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

Noah suddenly hugged Tony's legs tightly, pressing his face against his pants. "T'ank you, Iwonman for keeping us safe," he muttered.

If I could've cried, tears would've filled my eyes. Instead, a proud smile spread across my face, and I glanced at Tony. He looked a little proud, but mostly uncomfortable. He awkwardly patted Noah's back. "Your welcome," he said stiffly, but nothing Tony said/did could ruin this minute.

Noah let go, shooting Tony a magnificent grin, before looking at me. His little eyes widened again as something clicked in his head. "Are you dating Iwonman?!" Noah screeched.

A blush spread across my cheeks, and I ignored Tony's smirk as I crouched down to Noah's level. "No, I am not dating Ironman."

"Can I talk tew yew?" Noah asked seriously, grabbing my hand and pulling me a few steps away. "Please, please, _please, _will you marry Iwonman? Pwetty please with a _cherry on top?!" _Noah begged, tugging my hand desperately.

Oh, I would do anything for this kid. Even marry Ironman, if it would make him happy. I sighed, biting my lip and pretending like I was thinking really hard. "You know what? I'll make you a deal. If _you,"_ I poked his stomach, "_promise_ to be a _really_ good boy, and always do what mommy and sissy say, then I'll think about marrying Ironman."

He grinned, jumping up and down. "Deal! Deal! Deal!"

"Shake on it," I told him sternly. He immediately sobered, holding out his hand. I shook his hand once, and he grinned, turning around and running away.

"Mommy, _guess what!" _ he shrieked, running into the kitchen.

I smiled, standing. I crossed over to Tony, sliding my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. "I think I just promised to marry you," I told him.

Tony chuckled, watching as Noah ran back out into the living room. He started jumping on the couch, holding his teddy in his arms. "You're his favorite superhero, you know," I said, watching my brother start to shake his booty. I giggled.

"Of course I am; everybody loves me," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

I laughed. "Gee, Tony, I _almost _forgot you were in love with yourself."

He laughed as well, and we both trailed off, our smiles fading as we stared at each other.

"Tony, thank you, _so much_ for everything you've done. If you hadn't helped me, I'd be dead by now," I added in a whisper, so no one could hear. "I'll find a way to pay you back."

He waved his hand, waving away my words. "Don't worry about it. It's what friends do."

I peered up at him, unwilling to say anything else. _This isn't goodbye, _I reminded myself. _We were going to text/call/skype etc. _

"Come here," he muttered, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I pulled my hands out of my pockets, nuzzling my head into his chest. "I'm going to miss you," he mumbled, his warm breath blowing on the back of my neck. Goosebumps rose over my arms, and I smiled a little.

"I'm going to miss you too," I told him. We didn't want to, but we eventually pulled away. I stared at him for a second, before standing on my tiptoes and gently kissing his cheek.

"This isn't goodbye," I stated firmly, staring at him.

"Absolutely not," he agreed. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Oh my _goodness, _Anwie just kissed _Iwonman!" _Noah shrieked from the couch, his hands covering his mouth again. We both grinned at him. "Anwie and Iwonman sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" Noah sang, dancing.

I blushed, my cheeks turning deep scarlet as I laughed. I grinned sheepishly at Tony, who was chuckling.

"I'll see you soon, Annie," he stated.

I nodded, watching him back out the door. "'Bye Tony!" I called as he got into the cab. I watched as it drove away, not moving until it had long disappeared from sight. I leaned my forehead against the doorframe, sighing.

Finally, I convinced myself to shut the door.

* * *

**I'm not crying... yet. This is it, guys.**

**Thank y'all so much. Without your constant support, I would've never gotten this far into this story. I'm already working on the sequel, but I want to get a lot of it done before I post the first chapter.  
**

**Thank y'all again.. I love you all!  
**


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